Carol's Word-a-Day Calendar
by Hastseoltoi
Summary: Short-short collection featuring any and all of the characters on the Walking Dead TV show. Each based upon random words from an online generator. Gen, canon slash and canon romance only in these. Non-canon romance (slash or otherwise) posted separately.
1. Smoggy

She remembered visiting the city of Atlanta a few years before everything fell apart, and though she had been struck by many things the one thing that stuck in her head was how the sky had been tinged orange and brown. It was a smoggy city, perhaps not as bad as Los Angeles or some other Western cities, but it was noticeable. Carol hadn't spent much time in the city itself, as Ed had complained about the trip so much they returned home earlier than planned. She remembered sitting in a park, watching Sophia play, and looking up she saw those colors streaking the sky as though staining it. It was disturbing.

Not so long ago she was remembering how things used to be, talking with Carl about all of the noises they missed. The hums and vibrations that created a continuous background noise to everything in life. They spoke of planes and she remembered the sky and how it had appeared in Atlanta. When they had been at the CDC it had still been streaked with smog just as the buildings had been streaked with soot.

And now, it was different. A lot of things were different. Nothing could remain static any longer, and she knew that better than most. But as they left Grady, after Beth had . . . Carol didn't even want to think it and yet she knew it was just another thing to face, unavoidable no matter the pain. Beth had died. And they came out, crushed and bleeding inside because they had hoped that just this once something good might have happened instead of the bad that they had grown so used to finding. They came out of the hospital and Carol had looked up into the sky over Atlanta and it was blue.

The smog had disappeared and all that was left was brilliant blue sky streaked with white clouds, and for a moment it had been beautiful. It had looked like the blue of Beth's eyes.


	2. Plough

Everything they used was what he would have called old fashioned, but it worked better than the now obsolete modern gardening implements. Hershel had been right; the horse had been able to pull the plough and the prison yard had become a field. The old fashioned tools required more man-power or hours to get results, but they didn't require fuel or batteries and were quiet.

Rick never thought that he would become a farmer or take up gardening, but he found that it had become a lifeline to cling to when he felt that everything else had fallen apart. It gave him something to do that took all of his energy and allowed his mind to dwell on simple things. When they had started clearing the yard and laying out the garden plots the sound of the walkers at the fence was unnerving. The Council had allowed some electrical use to charge his small mp3 player though, so now he had music to drown out all other sound and to fill his head when all other thought became too much to bear.

After all of that work there was food growing in their yard, and it was being harvested slowly as plants grew. The greens were already being used, lettuce grew quickly and when cut properly it grew back even quicker. Hershel had taught them a few things, and a run to a bookstore had taught them more, so now they had a system of harvesting that allowed short growth-cycle plants like radishes, baby turnips and the greens to be harvested and replanted or grown while waiting for the other plants, like tomatoes and squash, to be mature. If he had been growing vegetables like this before the walkers he would never have viewed grocery stores as he had.

Growing food was good clean work for him to do, and he felt as though he was really accomplishing something instead of just surviving. He almost felt as though the plants were his babies, as much as his children did, and he saw something new in their growth every day just as he did with the way Judith grew. It was hard to explain to the others, though Hershel seemed to understand better than most. Rick had hoped that Carl would understand, but the way of this new world made that difficult.

Maybe it was for the best that Carl was a survivor, able to take care of himself when others fell apart. Rick was lucky that there were so many others capable of taking the leadership for their group and keeping it all going while he was taking this break. It wasn't a break from responsibility because the work he did was important for the survival of the group too, but it was a break from the daily violence that had defined their lives for too long. He just needed this growing season before he too could move on again and face what had become of their lives.


	3. Handy

There wasn't any room left for weakness in this world, nor for those people unwilling to change, learn new skills and to just go and get what needed to be done actually done. She had been weak, and Carol knew it, but the last few years had changed her. She was what Daryl had once called handy; she learned new skills and how to use her old skills in new ways and then actually got things done as they needed to be done.

She had never thought that one day she would be washing clothes in a reservoir or river, or cooking on a make-shift grill in a prison yard. She had never thought that one day she would be able to face down monsters that threatened her safety and life, and that of her family, without fear. If Ed had survived, maybe she would still be weak. Or maybe she would have grown into this capability and he would have feared how competent she had become. She was useful in ways that he never had been.

It was good, but sometimes it scared her too. She got things done no matter how much it hurt, or who it hurt, and something had to change. Becoming cold inside was slowly killing her in a whole new way. She didn't want to become a monster like the ones they had faced; the Governor or the people at Terminus who were so willing to hurt others just to get a little more for themselves.

Carol had thought that she could protect the others by leaving them, but Daryl had caught her at it and refused to let go until he had lost her in the city. After being rescued by the group she couldn't find it in herself to try leaving again, not when they had lost something in the process of saving her. It would have been too difficult to look at Maggie and know that Beth wouldn't have just walked off in the night. Beth wasn't sacrificed for her, but Beth had saved her in that hospital, and Carol wouldn't forget the effort.

Instead of leaving to protect the group, she would use her skills to slow the bleeding that everyone seemed to be experiencing, for their losses and their disappointments and the hopes that had been destroyed yet again. She would keep moving, or keep on keeping on as it was.


	4. Vagabond

Carl tries not to mention his mother when his father is around. He knows that there were things going on between them for a long time before her death, and they thought he was too young to understand them. Maybe they were right about that, but sometimes he feels as though he didn't have a chance to know either of his parents very well at a time when people were learning too much about one another. He wishes he had more stories and memories to share when Judith gets old enough to remember them.

His mother is still a sore point for his dad though, so he holds onto those stories and tells them to Judith when he is watching over her and the others are resting. He tries to take watch when they let him, and carry his sister as they move along the roads, and volunteers to do anything that might let the group see him as more than a child. His father has gotten a lot better at treating him as though he was capable, instead of just a dependent, but sometimes when people look at him Carl still thinks they hesitate over what his limitations have become.

The things he does are not childish, except when they are done by him; Michonne still shares candy with him, and Glenn still wants to read the comic books when he finishes, but when they do those things it is somehow more adult. His mom used to tell him that life wasn't fair, and he knows that to be true, so he tries not to complain too much. Instead he watches and takes mental notes and tries to fill space between the other people in their adopted family. Sometimes he thinks that they are like the vagabonds in the stories his mother used to read to him; travelers with hardly anything to their names except each other. They each have a performance or task, and he is trying to take up the mantle of adulthood while they are all watching him practice.


	5. Giraffe

They were never going to believe him. Daryl frowned, trying to stay as still as he possibly could until the large animal moved out of sight. He had frozen in place when he had heard the large movements behind him, knowing from the noises that it wasn't a walker and hoping for a buck or even a steer to come through the trees. He waited, holding his breath and getting an arrow ready, hoping it was something that he could bring back to their camp for dinner.

Instead it was something wholly unexpected and he couldn't even finish prepping his bow to kill the animal. It seemed wrong somehow to kill a giraffe. It had to have escaped from a zoo in a nearby city, and if it had survived that and then survived out in the woods without being taken down by walkers, it seemed wrong for him to shoot it. He wasn't sure if people ate giraffe anyway.

No one was going to believe him when he told them about it back at camp though. It was going to be like the Chupacabra all over again.


	6. Whisper

They hadn't spoken louder than a whisper in days, though usually they were able to get along without talking at all. Carol had her hands in her pockets, trying to keep them warm as they walked. She used to believe that having time and the quiet to be able to think would be wonderful, but now that she had the time and too much quiet she didn't like being left inside her own head for too long. Her thoughts were not easy.

She accepted a bottle of water from Glenn and smiled her thanks. He smiled and nodded in return before handing the next bottle to Daryl, who grunted. Carol laughed softly and then shook her head as both Daryl and Glenn looked at her in question. She saw Maggie roll her eyes and Rick hide a smile before turning his attention back to Judith. They all took a few minutes on the side of the road to sit and rest as they drank their water and listened to the slight breeze rustle the leaves above. It was a nice moment, but it didn't last.

Daryl held a hand out to help Carol to her feet when they were ready to start off again, and she held it for a moment longer than necessary, but he didn't seem to care. Glenn had an arm around Maggie, Rosita was poking Abraham in his side and smirking, and Carl was taking his sister from his father to have a turn at carrying her. Everything that happened between them, as they moved to get into their typical formation on the road, was done quickly and quietly, and was so completely comfortable that it was easy to overlook the readiness they all had to drop everything and fight if necessary. It was all done without a word between them.


	7. Pan

Andrea looked down at the misshapen hunk of metal that had once been their only frying pan and frowned. She crossed her arms over her chest finally, looking up to Michonne. "You used our only frying pan to kill a walker?"

Michonne gave her a smile that edged on becoming a smirk and nodded.

"Our only frying pan? Really? You have a sword, and you absolutely had to use the pan?" Andrea exhaled sharply, shaking her head.

"It was the first thing within reach." There was definitely a laugh coming, and Michonne was not scared of Andrea so she wasn't even going to try to hide it. She was still quiet when she laughed though, and Andrea's glare just made her laugh harder. The blonde wasn't really mad, Michonne could tell by the relaxed stance and twitch of her lips. "We'll find another one. One that doesn't break so easily maybe?"

"Good, and you can christen it by making the first breakfast in it too." Andrea was still shaking her head slightly, but she was also starting to smile and Michonne knew that pretty soon they would be laughing together.


	8. Pleasant

On the pleasant days she found herself humming as she did all of her chores, and everyone around her seemed to smile. The good mood would become infectious and spread throughout the population at the prison. Beth would be happy that she could create such good feelings in others, and her humming would continue.

On the bad days, when they faced hardship or the weather was grey and overcast, and everyone just seemed a little more down than usual, her father would encourage her to sing so as to raise the spirits of those people again. Beth would always do what he asked because it was such a simple thing and it made him happy. When she was alone on those days she would sing the darker, slower songs that reflected her own mood though, and it was something that she had to do as a way to work that darkness out of herself.

When she was sad she sang of sadness and heartbreak and dark times, and let all of her feelings loose in the wind. After a while she would feel better, almost as though she were telling secrets from her heart. Exorcising her despair so that she could focus on her work, and then soon the sun would be shining on her again and there would be songs of togetherness and hope.


	9. Spider

They weren't supposed to be close to the fence, but she went to visit every day anyway. The adults were busy enough that they hadn't noticed her daily pilgrimage. They didn't seem to think anything of her collection of mice and rats from the prison either, if they had even noticed it yet. Her father hadn't, and Mika had sworn she would keep it a secret even if she didn't like it.

There was a new walker today, near Nick and the others regulars. He looked like he was a thug and Lizzie found herself mesmerized by a large tattoo that covered his upper right arm and shoulder. A large spider in what had been exquisite artistic detail, but was now cracked with large scratches and dried blood. She was so tempted to touch it, but her father had always told her that she should never touch a stranger without permission, and she didn't know this one well enough yet. Maybe another day.

She gave him a live mouse through the fence, pushing it through even though it cried and tried to hold onto the metal wires. Spider, as she now thought of him, accepted the offering and bit through it quickly enough, cutting off any further squeaks from the small creature. Lizzie smiled at him for a moment before moving down the fence toward Nick and her friends on the other side. She liked making new friends.


	10. Thunder

Thunderstorms used to be something to wait out in a nice cozy, warm bed. She would make a can of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for Sophia and then the girl would huddle at her side until the storm had passed, not willing to admit to fear but needing comfort anyway. Carol noted that some things didn't change just because the world fell apart; some of the group jumped or twitched every time a loud thunderclap sounded overhead.

She smiled; big tough men who would face down walkers without flinching and a storm makes them jumpy. If she were honest she would have to admit that the storm made her nervous too. She had grown up watching the weather reports and planning out her days with the knowledge of what was coming, with as much certainty as they had anyway. Now she had to worry that every small storm could be hiding something bigger. They wouldn't know about a tornado or a hurricane, or any other dangerous weather until it was almost upon them, and then it might be too late to move out of the way.

Daryl shifted slightly, under her arm, and Carol looked to see if he was still asleep. His eyes were still closed, but other than that there was no indication either way. She tightened her arm around him a little, not quite a hug, and exchanged a look with Michonne. The swordswoman had Carl tucked up against her side, the boy awkwardly accepting the comfort and shared warmth as they rested in a lonely barn. His father was rocking Judith as softly and quietly as he could, trying to keep her from crying and keeping everyone else up through the night. She fussed when the thunder got very loud, but was remarkably well-behaved for a baby.

Carol was tempted to let herself drift off into sleep, as most of the others had done, but she stopped herself. Watching over them was more important, and holding the nightmares away when possible was more helpful. Daryl clutched her arm for a moment, and then let go again, and she looked down at him. It was more important to her that he be able to rest, without worrying about everyone else's well-being for a change. She knew that he would be doing the same for her again soon enough.


	11. Spectator

There was a television in almost every room. Signs of the lives that people led before everything fell apart, and completely useless even with the power available in Alexandria. Carol hadn't missed television, after the first month or so of being without it just didn't even cross her mind any more. She couldn't even imagine sitting down in front of one now, letting the emptiness of her evening be filled with the meaningless drivel that had taken up most of the channels.

Ed always had to have some television service so he could watch the different sports games he was fond of following, and she would often sit with him as he watched. Of course, she would be there mostly to fetch the things he wants from the kitchen or to work on her sewing and knitting for Sophia. When she was home alone, and Ed was working and Sophia was at school, the television would be off. Ed didn't want it to distract her from her housework, and she didn't care for the overly dramatic daytime shows anyway.

After they left home there were no sports to watch, no drama to follow except the drama they created within their little group, and the entire scale of their time had changed. They still had free time, or down time, when there were no pressing tasks to be planned or carried out, but they used that time differently. They improved upon it and themselves so that sitting idle wasn't something that even seemed desirable. This was no longer a world for spectators.

She took the television off the wall in her room, and shoved it into the closet, covering it with old jackets and bedding that had been left behind. Maybe she would find something else to put up on the wall in its place someday.


	12. Gaped

There were always simple chores to be done, and Carol did them willingly if only to keep her mind and hands busy. She leaned over the large old fashioned Maytag, cranking the side handle to wring out a shirt, and panted with the effort. It was good exercise for her arms too, as she told Michonne earlier.

There were others who were willing to take up these chores, but while Daryl, Michonne and Sasha were out of a run she needed the distraction. Carol had confidence in her friends, her family, but she knew that no matter how good you were at defending yourself and others it didn't take much to get into a bad situation. Even the best could trip at the wrong moment or be surprised, and then they could die. She shook her head, grabbed the shirt and passed it to Maggie, who was hanging the clean clothes to dry on their clothes line.

Carol grabbed the next item, a short dress, and began scrubbing. She could already hear an engine in the distance and Maggie was looking up toward the gate in anticipation. "Think they found anything good?"

"Maybe, though you know how picked over all of the nearest places are getting. As long as they all come back safe it is enough for me." Maggie gave her a small smile, "Glenn wants to do a run tomorrow; try another road. He found an old zoning map that showed some neighborhoods we might have missed. I think I might go with him." She turned and stared at the gate to the prison yard as a car finally made its way to the fence.

"Just the two of you? Might be good to take two more in another car in case there is anything decent to find." Carol glanced at the car and then back to the dress, which is ready to be rinsed and wrung out. She looked back as soon as the car is parked, just to count the people getting out of the vehicle, and to note that they had to open the trunk. That usually meant that there was something gathered on the run. She counted three heads and then kept her attention on the wash until a shadow crossed in front of her washer.

"You still doing that? Thought you'd be done by now." Daryl paused, his cross-bow propped against his shoulder, and Carol looked up, leaning forward over the top of the washer as she smiled at him. "I found some . . . some, um," he trailed off, looking down at her and she saw him flush.

She glanced down to see what he was staring at, if there were panties floating in the wash or something like that, but saw that the shirt she was wearing had gaped open and that the top of her bra was showing. Leaning over as she was he was probably getting a good look. "See anything you like?" Carol grinned at him, enjoying his blush and the speechlessness, "Eyes up here, pookie." She pointed at her face and he followed the movement of her hand. He was still flushed and she saw him swallow hard before he turned and practically fled to the inside of the prison.

Maggie laughed, "Poor Daryl."


	13. Back

"We can't go back to being the people we were before. It doesn't work that way anymore." Carol shrugged, leaning against the railing of the porch. "The world can't work like that now."

"You don't think that we can start over? That there is forgiveness for what we've done?" Tara let her knife spin between her hands, not looking at the other woman.

Carol was silent for several moments, thinking, "It would be nice to think that there is, but I don't think so. We carry all of these burdens with us, and every time we seem to get to a new place it all follows. Even after the first and second times that everything fell apart I hoped that we would be able to start over again; as though we could just pick things up and rebuild our lives like they had been before. It didn't work."

"You don't think this will last either, do you?" Tara glanced up at her, pausing over the contradiction of Carol's words and the flowery cardigan she was wearing. She looked like the nice second-grade teacher, or someone's stay-at-home mom, and yet she carried herself as though she could defend against any attack.

"I don't. Maybe that's what destroys it all; preparing for the worst really shows a lack of trust in anything getting better, but after we've been betrayed and attacked by other people so often, how can we ever really trust outsiders? Without trust you can't build community, or society, again."

"That makes sense. All of the ties we have with other people are based on the trust that they will act in certain ways, and now we can't be sure of any stranger. Some may be good and potentially be allies, but there are a lot of bad people out there who would hurt us to get what we have or just to amuse themselves because no one is stopping them." Tara nodded and flipped her knife over into her other hand.

"Not a lot of hope for the future then, right?" Carol sighed, "I wish I could be optimistic and have hope that things will get better, but when I look at the path we've traveled it feels like the future will be just as dark and dangerous. It's comforting to believe in something, I wish I could be that naïve again."

Tara smiled, "Things do sometimes change for the better though. Eugene was a coward but he protected me. Maybe every change for the better has to come with each person as they become better than what they once were." She shrugged, "We all face trials and our choices are what will make the difference. Even if we can't go back to what we once had, or who we were, perhaps it isn't all bad."


	14. Melted

Michonne had found the place during one of her runs that had her looking for the Governor. Just another supermarket, but one that had fences around the parking lot, FEMA trailers and a gate. It had obviously been used as a triage location and refuge center before it fell to walkers. Someone had probably turned inside the fence, brought in with a bite perhaps. Whatever had happened the fences kept the herds from getting too close, and the few walkers inside didn't seem like a hardship to deal with.

She told Carol about it when she got back to the prison, and Carol took the information to the Council. They decided that it was worth the risk to check it for any useful supplies. So now she was back with Carol, Glenn and Daryl, clearing the lot and looking into the trailers. It was hot work; the humid heat of the day making them all tired. They took a break after clearing the parking area and tents, drinking bottled water so they won't dehydrate as they sweat.

The store looks to be most intact, though it is clear that there were some panicky people searching it at some point. There is a lot of rotted produce, and meat that has spoiled, to make the entire store smell horrid, but there is also a lot of canned and dried goods left to be picked up. Carol and Michonne start from one side of the store as Glenn and Daryl check the warehouse for any hidden walkers.

"Now that is a damn shame." They've ended up in the frozen section, where everything has melted, rotted, and turned into a disgusting goo on the floor after leaking out from the cold units. The floor is covered in wasted ice cream products. "I can't even remember the last time I had some Ben &amp; Jerry's, and I guess I never will again."

Carol smiles at the comment, "We'll just have to learn how to make it ourselves, if we can figure out how to make ice again."

"We definitely need to relearn that, and so many other things. How can we have a ladies night without ice cream?" Michonne smirks, finally leaving the aisle to search the next, which is filled with junk food and packs of soda. "It looks like we have plenty of the other things though."

AN: To be honest I'm not sure about this one, and feel kinda "meh" so it may be re-written in the near future.


	15. Robins

It was quiet, and they were about to set out again after planning their new route, when Aaron noticed that Daryl's attention was being drawn to something in the brush to the side of the road. "Walker?"

Daryl shook his head, "Just some birds." At Aaron's look of curiosity he shrugged, "Robins. Used to hear people talk about how they were one of the first signs of spring, and how they were such a happy bird to have around. Always thought those people were idiots that didn't know a thing about birds."

He smirked and continued his explanation, "Robins are territorial. Like those two down there, fighting over a few more trees for their territory."

"So, not much different than humans, then?"

Daryl laughed, "No, not much different at all."


	16. Soft

"Sorry about your face," she gestured broadly, "and everything."

Rick touched the side of his face gingerly, but shrugged, "It's okay, I should have made more noise on my approach but I forgot that you had such a punch. Lucky you didn't shoot me, right?"

"True, but there's always next time." Carol smiled and put her hands up, "Kidding, I swear." She liked that their relationship wasn't quite as fragile as it had been after Terminus, but she was still cautious when teasing him. He didn't always know when it was a tease, or when she was being serious; Daryl sometimes had that same problem.

He hooked his thumbs into his belt and gave her a saucy grin though, "You'd better be." They continued walking toward the house the group had all been staying in, Carol with her serene smile and Rick with his watchful posture. They waved to a few people who were out of their porches, and no one seemed to have noticed their initial exchange. "So, do you have the need to greet many people in Alexandria with a fist?"

"Not many. Ever wonder how long it will take for us to get as soft as the people inside these walls? If those walls fell I bet we could count on one hand the number of people here able to defend themselves, and one of them is out there with Daryl," she waved to Eric as they passed his home, "and one is injured."

Rick nodded, "Agreed. We won't get soft though. We won't let that happen." He gave her a quick glance, and grinned again, "Even if you do insist on dressing like the president of the local PTA."


	17. Manners

Carol looked around at the group of people surrounding her and shook her head. She would call each one family, and friend, but sometimes she looked at them and her old self cringed. They had found some slightly stale provisions in an old gas station, and were sitting around a small fire in the parking lot as they ate. Their manners were not exactly Emily Post.

Daryl was shaking his bag of potato chips into his hand, getting every last crumb and licking them from his palm. Tara and Eugene had eaten their first few candy bars but were now opening each wrapper and licking the chocolate that had melted on the inside. Carl has stuffed two entire Twinkies into his mouth and was having trouble chewing. She was pretty sure she had seen Glenn licking Cheetos dust from Maggie's fingertips. Carol knew that she was just as guilty, savoring the tart candies she had found because she knew that they might be the last she ever had.

"What's so amusing?" Michonne had been watching Carol as she had been watching the others, taking in the sly smile and suppressed laughter.

"Just thinking about how horrible Judith's table manners are going to be with all of us as her example. Inappropriate licking will just be the tip of the iceberg." Carol smirked, "Though without a table, I suppose table manners are a thing of the past."

Michonne nodded, chewing her nougat carefully before responding, "Well, as soon as we have a table again we'll have to change that."


	18. Hobbies

"If I were at home right now, and everything was right with the world again, I would be jumping into my favorite MMORPG and running pugs until I passed out." Tara smiled at Eugene, "I miss that game, City of Heroes, so much sometimes. It was the best stress relief."

"Were you a hero then, or a villain?" He actually looked interested in her answer, instead of acting as though he were waiting to give his own story. Eugene was doing a lot better at the whole group communication thing, especially with Tara since he found that they had similar geeky interests.

"Oh, I played both sides, but it was always easier to find teams blueside. Which were you?"

"Both, like you said, easier to find teams on blueside, but I didn't mind soloing on red from time to time. Favorite archetype? I liked the Controllers, Dominators, and Defenders, but couldn't resist a good melee toon either." He shrugged and looked to her for her answer.

Tara grinned at him for a moment, "I can picture you as a Troller or Dom, all the little things locked in place and under your command. I liked Blasters and Scrappers, but I tried everything at least once. Damage was fun though, and once I stopped dying all the time it was so much fun to run a good Blaster."

Rosita gave them both a strange look as she approached close enough to hear their conversation. "So you had similar hobbies, before?"

Eugene nodded, "It appears that we did indeed have similar hobbies. I may have to share my secret stash of comic books."

"Comic books?" Carl spoke up from the side, "Michonne used to bring back comics for me, at the prison, but I didn't get to take any of that stuff, what with all that happened."

Tara nodded, "Comic books are important, cultural icons really. We should check for them at the next gas stations and bookstores we get access to, so we don't neglect your education on the important things in life."

Carl laughed at her serious tone, but Eugene continued, "She is absolutely correct. It would be near criminal for us not to continue to enlighten you on the variances in superhero universes and manga."


	19. Mice

It was soft and fluffy, but had a ridge along the spine that was perfect for chewing on. It made sense at the time, so he had grabbed it, along with several other toys; stuffed mice and birds, a few hand-sized rubber balls that had holes all over. He figured that would make them easier for Judith to grab and pick up. He knew what they were, but thought that they would still work.

"Daryl, those are pet toys for cats or dogs, not children." Carol gave him a look of disbelief, "You do know they used to make things for babies to chew on, right?"

He shrugged, "Yeah, but I didn't find any of those types. These are brand new. It isn't like I took them from someone's kennel. They ain't been chewed on before, or nothing."

Daryl looked at Rick, who was holding Judith, and only got an amused grin in response to his silent inquiry. Judith didn't seem to mind; she was already grabbing at the rat toy and squishing it with both hands.

Carol sighed, "You're right, and she needs something to chew while teething. Let's just skip the laser light toys until she's older."


	20. Deer

Tara was supposed to on watch, and to be fair she was watching. She just wasn't shooing the creature away like she was supposed be, or shooting at it like some on the group would want. There didn't seem to be much harm that a single doe could do to Eugene though, and he didn't seem to be noticing the animal as it sniffed his hair and nibbled at the grass around his head.

Her fingers twitched and she wished for her cell phone so she could take a picture of the scene. She wasn't sure if anyone would believe her if she told them about it later, unless Eugene woke while the deer was still nosing around him. They might not believe him either, as things were standing with the group they didn't believe most of the things he told them unless there was concrete proof staring them in the face.

Tara stifled a laugh and then froze in place again as the slight noise alerted the deer to her presence. She didn't want the animal to go quite yet; without television there wasn't a lot to watch that actually held her interest anymore. It was sad, but this was almost as good as it got.

The deer's muzzle brushed close enough to Eugene's face that the short whiskers must had tickled him, because his hand came up to brush at his cheek. The deer startled, jumping back several feet before looking curiously at the waking man. Tara didn't stop the laughter now and the sound drove the doe further into the woods.

"That could have been breakfast." Daryl scoffed from behind her, but Tara didn't stop laughing. Eugene was now sitting up in his bedroll, looking around in confusion, and she didn't have the heart to tell him why she was laughing yet.


	21. Daughter

Andrea looked up at the group, wondering at how they all fit together. Sometimes it felt as though they were meant to have found each other, some of the relationships falling together so naturally, but other times she wondered how they didn't all fall apart and go their separate ways. Outside of the family groups and friendships that had existed before the world as they knew it ended, there didn't seem to be much to cement their bonds.

She picked at the plate of food Carol had given to her and took a small bite. Breakfast wasn't a lot, but if she ate it slowly enough it felt like more. She could have asked for more, but the last time she had done that she had gotten an evil glare from Lori. Apparently she was flouting the gender norms that the woman was clinging to so adamantly, and only the men deserved more food. Lori could shove it, as far as Andrea was concerned, the woman had no trouble eating the fish that were caught the night before and they were Andrea's catch as much as the morning rabbit was Daryl's.

If she were honest with herself she could admit that her hesitation in helping with the female assigned chores was partly due to Lori's insistence that they fall into those old patterns instead of assigning people tasks that they had skills with, or wanted. Andrea was happy to help Carol when she asked for assistance, and had helped with plenty of laundry back at the quarry, but things were different on the farm and Andrea was determined that she was not going to end up being some helpless woman needing others to save her.

Her father raised her to be an independent woman; someone with the intelligence to learn and grow, and to take care of herself when in trouble. That was why he had given her the gun when she and Amy were about to take their road trip. He knew she would be able to handle the responsibility and use due caution when wielding the weapon. Though Shane was right about one thing; she should have learned to use the gun before taking it on the road with them, and her lessons were definitely useful now.

Considering that her old weapons were usually words, she was surprised at how easily she had taken to the gun, and how much she enjoyed shooting. It was a good release of tension, and of stress, and she was showing real promise with her targeting ability. Even Shane had thought so, and he would know. It was one of the rare things she could find pride in now. There might not be much call for someone to make legal arguments, but someone who could defend the group from walkers was always needed.

That was another part of why she chafed under Lori's admonishments. Andrea could contribute like many of the men were doing, and there were plenty of others to wash clothes and cook. She didn't see Lori suggesting to Dale that he could help with those household tasks instead of keeping watch on his RV, even though that watch was less useful than it had been on the road.

She finished her breakfast, and set the empty plate in the bucket of soapy water. It would only take a moment to clean her own dishes so that Carol could finish eating too. They exchanged easy smiles, "It'll be okay, Carol, I think we're going out in teams today. We'll find your daughter." Rick and Glenn both were nodding in agreement, "We'll do our best."


	22. Gorgeous

The house was already clear, and was in fairly good shape considering the rest of the neighborhood. Lori was wandering the main floor, waiting until they were given the signal that this would be there haven for the night. They had checked every closet and small space, including the dark and musty-smelling basement. She wanted to sit on the overstuffed sofa, but was worried that once she sat it would be difficult to get back up again.

"This is it," Rick addressed the group that was milling around her, instead of saying anything to her directly. He was doing that a lot lately; ever since she showed how upset she was that Carl had shot Shane. She knew it had to be done, but she was still grasping onto the idea that her son was a child, and that was hard to let go. She rubbed her belly for a moment, nodding with the others, and found a chair to settle in as others move to explore and claim sleeping space.

"Gonna hunt," Daryl grunted and was the first to disappear from the room. She watched him leave, and then Hershel and Beth followed his example by heading to the kitchen to start checking the cupboards. Maggie and Glenn went up the stairs, probably to pick a bedroom, and Rick took Carl out the front door to set-up a watch with T-Dog. Lori was alone for the first time in what felt like weeks, and she sighed, already tired of sitting.

This was a nice house, gorgeous in fact. The kind of house she dreamt of having when they were first starting out. She and Rick had lived fairly well, and they did have a nice house, but they would never have had a house this big with so many things. The clutter would have driven them crazy, and the electric bill from all of the now-useless electronics would have been atrocious. It would have been comfortable to have two or three children living here though, and she could picture play-dates with neighbor children, birthday and pool parties, and even dinner parties for their adult friends.

She stood, carefully, and walked around the edge of the room. There were knick-knacks everywhere and she picked up a hand-blown glass elephant from the mantel and looked at it for several seconds. It was cute and modern and would have cost more than twenty dollars before the world fell apart. Lori dropped it on the brick of the fireplace and watched it shatter. It had been pretty and now it looked like she was feeling.

Beth stuck her head back into the room, "Are you okay?"

"Sorry, I knocked something off a shelf, it's fine." Lori brushed the shards of glass with the toe of her boot, "I'm good."

Beth studied her for a moment, "We found some bottled water and tea, and there is some canned food. Why don't you come in here and have something to drink while we sort through it all?"

Lori glanced around the room again before nodding, "Sure, that sounds great. Thank you, Beth."


	23. Calculation

Every situation had become one of calculation. As they approach it they go through a series of determinations; what is happening around them, can they avoid it, and if not can they survive it? How best to survive; run or fight, or do both perhaps? So many variables must be accounted for in that assessment. How much light do they have, what obstacles are in their path, how many walkers are present and moving, and have noticed them? All of these things are quickly asked and answered, and each of the survivors has to measure themselves and their abilities or experience against their own answers.

There are right and wrong answers, but they differ from survivor to survivor. Carl knows that Michonne could stand against more walkers than he could just because of her experience with her weapon and her reach. He knows he is a better shot than Beth though, and that he could take out more from a secure distance. He also knows that in some situations he has to let go of any pride and that hiding or running is the only survivable option.

His math has changed since they've been on the road. When they were at the quarry, and on the Greene's farm, his mother had tried to keep some normalcy by having him practice math, English and other basic school lessons. Accepting what had happened was more difficult for her than it had been for Carl; he knew that there were too many things out of his control because of his age, and accepting that there was nothing he could do to save or change the world was just one more thing to which he had to adapt.

The lessons had stopped after a while. There wasn't enough time, and there wasn't enough guidance. It was better than he learn to shoot and defend himself, read the signs around himself in nature and in other people, and take some responsibility for himself and helping the group. He had to leave childhood sooner than his mother wanted. It was sooner than he wanted some days too. There were moments when he still was able to be a kid, with Michonne or Beth, but even those moments required careful thought.

It was like one of the wordy math problems his mom would read. Some guy was traveling by train and he needed to figure out when he would pass by a certain town, or there was a group of friends sharing fruit and how many apples did they have. All of those problems seemed ridiculous at the time, but as they approached the small group of walkers ahead on the road he started an internal dialogue. Michonne was already unsheathing her katana, and his father's grip on his machete had changed. How many walkers would they each take out, how long would this minor stop take before they could continue moving, would any of the walkers get close enough that Carl would have to deal with them or would the two adults prevent that from happening?

The walkers were always the variable that couldn't be predicted precisely. They tended to do similar things when presented with similar incentives, living people or noise to attract their attention, and had similar problems with mobility and speed, but environment and skill of the living changed every confrontation. Carl waited as his father took out one and Michonne swung her sword and took out three at once. He stepped forward when a smaller female fell to the side and rolled down the slight incline, stabbing it in the head so that it wouldn't get back up and come at them from behind.

Everything worked out just like an equation. Plug in the variables and work it out, until solved or the danger was past. He smiled to himself, and Michonne caught his eye. She looked curious but let it slide when he shook his head. He could explain, and she would probably understand, but he liked having this small thing to himself for the moment. Maybe he would explain it later, when his education was brought up by his father once again or they were training him on the road.


	24. Adhesive

AN: Canon Slash (m/m) couple featured; nothing that wouldn't be appropriate for the show.

* * *

"Why do you taste like chocolate?" Aaron leaned back slightly to look at Eric, guessing at the answer already but wanting to hear it anyway.

Eric smiled slyly, "Carol brought us a plate of brownies. She wanted to pass along a message to Daryl when you got back. Is he in the garage?"

"I think so, he was going to check something on the bike before heading home." They stepped apart and he removed his jacket as Eric hobbled over to the door to the garage. "I hope it wasn't a problem that she needed him for."

It was fishing for more information, but he couldn't help his curiosity, and Eric only grinned before opening the door and shouting at Daryl over the noise he was making with the bike. "Carol wants you home for dinner tonight; she said she was making something special."

A sharp clang sounded as Daryl dropped a wrench, and he turned with a scowl. He bit off whatever he was going to say when he saw Aaron standing just past Eric's shoulder though, "Fine."

"You can always come back later, if you want." Eric shrugged, calm, "I'm just passing on the message she left for you, not kicking you out." Daryl seemed to take that at face value, but there was a tone in Eric's voice that made Aaron a little uncomfortable. The door was closed again, before Daryl had gone, and they were quiet for a few moments.

"I'm going to get cleaned up first, and then do you want help with dinner?" There was a sudden feeling that something was wrong, and he wasn't sure what it was, but it made him nervous. Aaron watched Eric carefully, looking for any sign that what he was feeling was just paranoia or over-reaction.

Eric only nodded though, not giving anything away. "Sure, that would be great. I put clean towels out for you and I can take care of your boots if you'd like."

"I can do that later. They really aren't so bad today. Barely got out of the car this time." Aaron shrugged, "I won't be long." He almost reached out to touch Eric again as they passed in the hall, but stopped himself.

He swallowed back his unease until he was finished cleaning up and changing into something more comfortable. They had been falling back into old patterns; ones they had before the world fell apart and they had been working different hours. Now that Eric was staying in Alexandria, instead of going out on the recruiting trips, he was taking care of the house and household chores more and more on his own. Aaron tried to do his part, and always made sure to pick up after himself when he could. He examined that thought for a moment, wondering if his kernel of guilt about not helping as much was at the heart of his current feeling of unease. It didn't quite fit though.

Eric was in the kitchen when he went back downstairs, already putting something together for their meal. There were several vegetables laid out on the counter, from their own small plot in the backyard and from the community garden, and he grabbed a second cutting board to start helping. "Any special instructions?"

"Nope, I was just thinking stir-fry. The rice is steaming, and this won't take long to cook." That tone was still present and Aaron frowned, but started chopping. They worked in silence for several minutes before he couldn't take it anymore.

"Is there something wrong? Ever since you relayed the message to Daryl, you've sounded different. Did he say something to upset you earlier?"

"No, he didn't say or do anything. It isn't Daryl, or it isn't Daryl's fault anyway." Eric was quiet, and his movements stiff with tension.

"Is it my fault, whatever it is?"

Eric huffed softly, "No." He set the carrots aside, "I'm sorry. I don't want to take out my mood on you, it isn't your fault. It's just-" He turned slightly so he could look directly at Aaron, "I forgot what some of our neighbors in Alexandria were like; the gossip, the cruel little digs at others, pretending that they aren't overheard when I'm standing nearby. When I was out there with you I forgot how bitchy the people here can get, and how easily they forget about the real problems so they can focus on all of the drama they create instead."

Aaron nodded, coming to understand the reason for Eric's mood. "I remember the things they used to say. Still as bad? What did they say?"

"Still as bad, but in different ways." He sighed, and picked up an onion to start slicing, "I was out with Carol this morning; she was helping me get these from the garden and with the weeding. While we were out in the yard we overheard someone, I think you can guess which neighbor, speculating about what you and Daryl are doing outside of the walls."

"I'm going to guess that they didn't mean the recruiting." Aaron doesn't even know what to say to that. He likes Daryl, but only as a friend. The man was about as sexual as his bow.

Eric shook his head, staring at the onion slices, "Carol thought that it was funny at first. She knows him better than anyone, I'd bet, but I think she understood the reason they were saying it where I would hear it and then she got mad. Hence the brownies she brought over later."

"You know that it's ridiculous, right? I would never do anything to hurt you like that. I love you." Aaron paused, hoping that the tearing up was a result of the onion, "I'm not with you because we don't have other options. I don't need other options. What we have together is the most valuable thing I have to hold onto and it's because of you."

"I know, and I feel the same. I love you too." Eric glanced away for a second, "I just forgot how hurtful it was to hear my fears repeated by others. My mother always said that I would never have a lasting relationship because monogamy didn't work for gay men, and that's what they were implying today. The only upside was finding out that Carol was a friend who would be upset on my behalf. I have the feeling that if someone says something near her, about any of her friends, they might get more of a reaction than they bargained."

He sniffled and wiped his cheek with the back of his hand. "I know I shouldn't take it out on Daryl, it wasn't his fault. It just kind of hit me when I looked at him in the garage. It's good that he's comfortable here, and that you can trust each other, but it's hard to let go too."

Aaron moved the sliced onion aside, and brushed his thumb across Eric's still moist cheek. "I understand. I worry about you here by yourself; Rick showed us that even our walls aren't enough to save us all the time. I know you can defend yourself, but it doesn't hurt to spend time with people like Carol, and I'll bet Daryl didn't even notice anything was wrong. Their group seems to be a better quality of person than our neighbors, right?"

"Absolutely." He started to turn back to his cutting board and Aaron stopped him, tilting his chin up to kiss him.

"I know it's hard not to let them get to you, but we're adhesive and you're stuck with me forever." It was a dumb joke, but it still made Eric smile.

"Like glue." He grabbed the next vegetable, as soon as he was released again, and restarted the dinner prep.

Aaron watched for a moment, nodding, "Like glue."


	25. Spy

"So, see anything interesting when you were playing spy?" Tara's lips quirked into a smile, showing that she wasn't entirely serious, "Did we do anything mortifyingly embarrassing?"

Eric looked at her for a few moments, "That depends on what you consider embarrassing. Most of the people we saw out on the road and in the woods had lost all sense of modesty, or the need for privacy. Too much privacy can get you killed after all. However, we didn't watch when things got personal, if that is what you were wondering."

She laughed, "Does that mean you don't know where my tattoo is, or what it is?"

He wasn't sure if she was still teasing, "I was listening, Aaron was watching. You would have to ask him."

Rosita interrupted, smirking, "Tara doesn't have a tattoo, and she is just trying to be a pest." She finished collecting the pain meds and vitamin supplements he had come into the clinic for, and put them in a small bag. "She has been trying to drive me crazy for the last two days."

"Let me get out of here and you wouldn't have to worry about it." Tara shrugged, sitting up in the make-shift medical bed. "I want to be doing something again."

"Understandable. It gets really boring to be on bed rest." Eric gestured to his ankle, "I'm lucky that I'm allowed out of the house when Aaron is home, he hovers constantly."

An odd expression crossed Tara's face, but quickly passed and she smiled again, "Eugene does that when he visits, but I think it's more about feeling responsible for me after saving me." She hesitated slightly, glancing at Rosita before continuing, "My last girlfriend always tried to mother-hen me when I got sick. I never thought that I'd miss it, but I do."

He nodded and they shared a look of understanding. A few minutes of silence stretched between all of them, and then Rosita was thrusting the bag of meds at Eric, "I suppose that means it's time for me to leave so you can rest. I can ask Aaron to come over with some books, if you'd like. You can ask about the non-existent tattoo then," he grinned, "but you have to tell me what his reaction is later if you do."


	26. Deliver

"It isn't that I don't appreciate the company, but you really don't need to deliver lunch every day. Despite what some people seem to think, I am not an invalid." Eric backed out of the doorway to allow Carol to come inside.

"I know, but I like doing it anyway. Gives me a chance to talk to someone sane for a while." Carol gave him a sly smile, "Plus, you see Daryl more often than I do it seems, so I get more news about him than he would tell me himself."

"He's just naturally mysterious." He followed her into the kitchen, and helped get the plates and silverware from the cabinets.

"Mysterious? More like the man has a natural tendency to see himself as less important than everyone else. I've been trying to break him of the habit since we met. He never hesitates to throw himself into danger for someone else, and doesn't seem to understand that we might see him as important for himself and not just what he can do for us." She frowned slightly, and took the glasses he offered.

"I'll admit that I don't mind the willingness to protect, not when he's out there with Aaron. I wouldn't want anything to happen to Daryl, but I don't know if I could live without Aaron." Eric looked at her directly, very serious. "I can't just trust anyone else to have his back out there, and I still plan on going back out when my ankle is healed."

Carol nodded, "I understand." She glanced at his ankle, "And you do seem to be getting better. I can tell that you're moving better than last week."

"Tell that to Aaron, please. He still hovers." Eric handed her a serving utensil and watched as she stirred the cold pasta salad before dishing it onto the plates. The community had a lot of stored pasta, and the gardens were producing a lot of fresh vegetables now so everyone was finding ways to mix them both. It was more appealing than the winter soups that had been standard for the past few months, but he still missed fresh cheese to grate over the pasta.

"I'm sure he has noticed. Maybe that is why he hovers though; worry about you wanting to go back out beyond the walls." She started moving everything to the dining table, "I've seen the way he looks at you and I know what that look means; he can't lose you either."

He looked away from her and Carol sighed, "It's difficult, but there is no shame in it. I envy you in that I think. I've never been loved like that, and the only one I ever loved that strongly was lost to me."

"You don't love Daryl like that?" Eric sat carefully, arranging his crutches to the side of the table. He had thought that perhaps Carol and Daryl were a couple, just very discrete.

"Maybe, I don't know." She finished arranging everything and sat down also, "I meant my daughter though. When I lost her I didn't know if I would ever get past it. She was all I valued after the world fell apart."

"I'm sorry." They often talked when she brought lunch, or when she came to help with a chore that he couldn't quite manage on his own, but usually their conversation was kept light. He wasn't sure what else to say, but fortunately she changed the subject.

"So, how is the garden today? I have time if you want help with more weeding."


	27. Strap

He was always adjusting the strap of his bow. It didn't always need adjusting, but when he felt the need to be doing something with his hands, without giving away how nervous he was he adjusted the strap as though it were sitting uncomfortably. He _hoped_ it didn't give anything away, at least, but Aaron had a way of looking at him when he was going through the motions that said it was becoming a tell.

Daryl scoffed at the idea that anyone could know him so well as to read into his body language. Carol might come close, and he would say that he knew her that well, but Daryl wasn't used to the idea that anyone would even care to know him like that.

"You have that look again, like you're over-thinking something." Aaron could do that thing that Carol always did, when she didn't want to give any of her thoughts or feelings away her expression went to pleasant blankness. A poker face, as some would say. He just stared at Daryl until the urge to fidget came over the archer again and he looked away.

"Ain't nothing." He gestured toward the trail, "Thought I saw something up one of those trees."

Aaron nodded, accepting the answer, "Do you want to get a closer look?"

"Nah, probably something shiny in a bird nest. Lots of ravens around here." Daryl glanced around at the trees, "This would be a good place to put a deer stand, one of the climbing tree stands so it's not so visible from the ground."

"That's a good idea. We could probably use several. If we positioned them right they could be used for look-outs closer to the walls too." Something in Aaron's expression lightened and Daryl felt pleased, "We can bring that idea to Deanna and Rick when we get back. Glenn and his group can probably find something on their runs, or I'm sure someone can figure out how to make them."

Daryl nodded, adjusting his bow again without thinking, and Aaron smiled at him, "Come on, it's almost time to turn back for the night."


	28. Ajar

The front door was ajar, and Carol hesitated as she crossed the porch. She had to remind herself that it meant something different in Alexandria than what it had meant when they were on the road. An open door out in the world usually meant that the people who left that house had done so in a hurry, and that the building could be hosting any number of living or non-living dangers.

An open door in Alexandria usually meant that whoever lived there was home and welcomed company, but might not want to be disturbed by a doorbell. Or, in Eric's case, that they were welcome but that it was a bad day for his ankle so they could let themselves inside. She knocked anyway, to announce herself, and checked her pockets for the pain meds that Rosita had given her; Eric was supposed to have picked them up the day before but he was stubbornly trying to wean himself from the meds and had skipped the trip to the clinic.

He looked up at her from the sofa, where he was reading, and gave her a wan smile, "Is it that time already?"

"Not quite. Rosita asked me to make a special delivery though," She held up the small bottle, "Rough day? I was going to ask if you wanted to join some of us at our house today. Glenn and the other runners are back, and it might be a good break from the quiet. He said that Tara found something special for you, but if you aren't feeling up to the trip I could bring it by later."

He stared at the bottle of pills for several seconds, "I wanted to stop taking so many, but it's harder than I thought, and I would like to get out of the house."

Carol watched as he worked through something in his head, and ran a hand through his hair. He looked pale and drawn, and she could tell he was in pain but too stubborn to admit it out loud. "How about this, take one of these now, and then cut the dosage beginning with the next. I've done that a time or two myself."

He frowned, but nodded, "I could use the cart to get over to your house."

"You could bring a book and keep me company while I make a casserole for Mr. Simpson. He asked me for something his wife used to bake, and I thought that I'd try my hand at it after lunch." She grinned, "The others will be in and out of the house, so it can count for the social time that Aaron mentioned last week. Tara would be thrilled if she could give you her find in person too."

Eric rolled his eyes, "True, I would hate to disappoint Tara, and I don't want to become a hermit." He set the book aside and wriggled his fingers at her, "Okay, I'll take one pill now."

Carol shook out one of the pills for him before taking the bottle into the kitchen. She brought back a glass of water and waited as he took the medication. "Do you need anything else?"

"Give me five minutes and then help me to the cart?" She took the glass back to the kitchen when he finished drinking the water, and grabbed the messenger bag he usually carried around the small community, as he made a quick trip to the bathroom.

He was wincing when he got back into the living room, but he didn't say anything about the pain. He shoved the book into the bag and sighed, "Did you ever hear the term 'first world problems' before the world fell apart? I feel like if I complain about anything here it would be like that; as bad as things seem here, it can't compare to what you saw out there."

Carol shook her head, "It isn't a competition, but I know what you mean. It doesn't negate any hardship you have here either. Broken bones weren't easy to deal with before all of this, and pain is never something to dismiss." She took his elbow, steadying him as he turned too quickly, and then shut the door behind them as they went outside.


	29. Ablaze

His hair looked like it was ablaze in the last rays of sunlight, and Aaron had a strange feeling of foreboding for their mission while looking at Eric. They had made the decision to finally approach the group that they had been following for days, and everything seemed to be warning him to wait. Even the weather was starting to pick up as though ready to throw a storm in their path.

"Are you sure we're ready for this? They still feel so unpredictable." Eric turned to look back at him, frowning. "I'm worried."

"I know, but I don't know if any more time watching is going to help. They're getting close." He shrugged and stepped out of the RV. The sky was darkening quickly, but the last light was still drawing his attention to Eric's red hair. "They haven't turned on one another, even though they clearly are lacking food and water supplies. There are more women than men, and they seem to be happy staying together even though we haven't seen many romantic connections between them. Even if they are paranoid, it seems more like they are circling their wagons to protect each other than anything."

Eric nodded, he knew all of this too, but understood Aaron's need to repeat it all. Hearing it out loud made it feel more secure. "I still worry. We don't know how they might react to a stranger. They could hurt you."

"Let's get inside, I think it might storm." He waited for Eric to get into the vehicle before following and closing the door. "Do you want soup?"

Eric crossed his arms, leaning against the cabinets, "I know you don't want to talk about it, but that doesn't make me worry any less."

"I know." He turned away, getting the pot and can of soup ready in the small kitchenette. "I don't want to dismiss your worry, I just don't know how anything can change. I don't like the idea of leaving you alone while I go to meet them either. We've seen so many people passing through on foot, and these vehicles could be a temptation for any one of them." He heard Eric move to get bowls and spoons out, and turned again to face him.

"I think it will be safest if I can approach one or two of the women first. I'll wait for a good opportunity, but if nothing happens we can wait another day and watch to see where they go from here. They might want to stay at that barn for a couple days to hunt now that they have some shelter."

"The brunette, Maggie, or the one with the sword, Michonne." Eric nodded slowly, "They would be the ones I'd pick. They seem level-headed and observant, and they act as protectors but not as paranoid as some of the others."

"I agree. I'll hope for one of them, and wait for the right moment."


	30. Collar

Daryl batted her hands away and Carol tipped her head to the side, frowning at him. "I have to fix your collar. Are you going to let me, or do I need to call on Rick for some help?"

"What's he gonna do? Hold me down?" Daryl scoffed and tugged at his collar, smudging it with dirt from his fingertips.

"No, but he'll give you that look of disappointment until you do as I ask." Carol grinned, "Just let me fix it and all of this will be over soon enough. We just have to look respectable for an hour or two, and then you can go back to being yourself."

"Don't see the point. If they're going to accept us, might as well be as we are and not this happy-family shit." He scowled at her, but allowed her to fix the fold of his collar, settling it in place. "You look like one of those old ladies that spent all day in church."

She finished with his collar and tugged at her cardigan. "Good, because that was the look I was trying for today. If they see that, they will underestimate me, and that might be helpful if things don't work out for us here." She smoothed the flowered fabric, and smiled at him again, "Sophia always complained about getting dressed up too, though that was usually because we were actually going to a church service."

"You gonna take up Father Gabriel's cause and join the congregation?" Daryl smirked, he didn't like the preacher and never made an effort to hide the fact.

Carol shook her head, "You know better than that." She sighed and touched the corner of his collar where he had smudged it, "I should have had you wash your hands again."


	31. Devilish

Eric met him at the front door with a devilish grin and a kiss, which Aaron accepted before stepping inside, "You're in a good mood. Something interesting happen today?"

"Carol brought brownies again. Special brownies." Eric followed him into the living room, "I told her that I was trying to cut back on the pain meds, and then she heard that Abigail had some special plants, so she made a few trades. She made pot brownies for me."

Aaron looked as though he wasn't sure if he should laugh or be disapproving. "Have you already tried one?"

"Nope, I was waiting for you to get home." Eric leaned against the back of an armchair. "Want one?"

He hesitated, "I think that maybe you should keep them for the days you skip your pain meds, if that was the intent. I've heard that marijuana can help with all sorts of medical issues. Isn't that why people were getting prescriptions for it in California?" Aaron laughed and hung his jacket in the closet, "This is going to change how I think about Carol. I wonder if Daryl knows about this side to her."

"She's nice. I like her." Eric moved around to the front of the chair and sat heavily, "I might have part of a brownie later. I took one of the pain pills earlier and it just made me nauseous."

"Are you feeling better now?" His tone instantly changed to one of worry, "Maybe we should have a late dinner; or something that won't aggravate your stomach."

"I'm fine, and I already made dinner. Or it's in the oven anyway; slow roasted rabbit with potatoes. Daryl was kind enough to bring us the rabbits, I'd hate to waste them." Eric shrugged and leaned back in the chair. "If you want to get cleaned up, there's time before it'll be ready, and I set some clean towels out."

He grinned cheerfully again, "I think I'll write a thank you note to Carol for the brownies."


	32. Knit

Tyreese took a lot of flak for having a little sister who was always pushing her way to being in charge. He was proud of Sasha though. She was strong and independent, just like any woman should be if they were going to survive in this world. He had no doubt that she would survive longer than he would. He knew he had weaknesses, which she sometimes couldn't deal with, but he didn't have it in himself to change.

After a lifetime of playing sports and using his size as a way to intimidate, he was glad to have the chance to step back from that. He had tried to be the strong one when they first left that shelter, stepping up to take charge when Allen was leading them in the wrong direction. Tyreese knew he was brave, but brave did not have to equate to violent or inflexible. It could mean letting someone else take control at times, like he did when they rejoined the people at the prison. Sasha could have the seat on the Council, she was a good leader, and Tyreese found that he was happier as a caretaker.

He helped others learn how to fend for themselves, he helped with the fences and keeping the yard secure, and he helped watch all of the kids. There were a lot of chores that he willingly did, no matter what people thought. Tyreese never understood why people would assign certain things to girls or to boys; his mother made him do just as many household chores as Sasha did because she needed both of them to help. There were skills that were valuable now, and it didn't matter who did the work as long as it got done.

Some people still teased when he showed them that he could knit though. Tyreese had picked up the habit from other football players. It was a practical way to keep dexterity in your fingers as you sat on the sidelines, to keep the muscles moving instead of getting cold during outdoor games in winter, and it produced something that you could give away to family or even fans. He liked to knit. It calmed him mind, and the smirks disappeared when he produced a baby blanket for Judith and a pair of fingerless gloves for his sister.

It paid to keep surprising people. He had skills they needed, and even if they weren't the ones apparent from looking at him, he knew that they were good skills to have. He would willingly follow Sasha, and others who were good leaders, and all he wanted was to be left to take care of the people around him.


	33. Many

There was a small library for the community, though Tara thought that it looked rather picked over. She immediately resolved to gather any books she came across on their next runs. Alexandria needed some better entertainment immediately. "I miss going to bookstores."

Carl looked at her through the next row of books, "The kind with the coffee shops or just bookstores in general?"

"Oh, I loved the coffee shops, but I would go into almost any bookstore. I loved finding the out-of-print science fiction classics in used bookstores, and discovering original on-going series in new bookstores." She ran a finger over the binding of the books she was looking at, frowning. "There are certain books that everyone should read at least once in their lifetime. We need to make a list so that you don't miss out. I bet I could start a book club here and trade some of the good books between members."

Carl shrugged, "I'd be willing to try things that you suggested. You have decent taste in comics and games anyway."

"You know what sounds really bad? Of all the many things I miss the most, the dumbest thing I miss is the series of books I was in the middle of reading. It was such a good series, all about a werewolf getting by in the modern world. I'll never find out how it would have ended because the author is probably a walker and there is no publishing industry anymore."

"So write the ending yourself. You can do that right, just pick up after the last books and figure out where you would have liked the story to go?"

Tara looked at him sharply, "That isn't a bad idea. I might have to find copes of the books again to remember all of the things that happened, and to pick up the feel for that universe, but I bet I could do it. Would you read it for me if I did? Every writer needs a critic."

Carl grinned, "Sure, if you write it then I can try reading it, but I want to read the books in the series too if you find them."


	34. Condition

He was really getting tired of people telling him that he couldn't do something because of 'his condition.' Partly because he hated being told that he was incapable of doing anything, and partly because saying it that way made it sound like he was pregnant. Eric scowled briefly before looking over at Aaron, who was leaning against the cushions on the other side of the couch and dozing, with his feet still in Eric's lap. He couldn't help but feel that they should be going out of Alexandria together, but every time he brought it up the idea was dismissed out of hand before they even talked it out.

He trusted Daryl, as much as he could under the circumstances, but not being out there and seeing or experiencing what Aaron was doing made him imagine the worst. The two recruiters had gotten home this evening, exhausted and dirty, after having another run-in with what Daryl thought of as a trap. The close calls were too frequent now and even Rick was suggesting that they hold off on trips outside unless they were necessary. Both Aaron and Daryl grumbled at the restriction, but Eric was relieved. He had fed them both before sending Daryl home and Aaron upstairs for a shower, and then relaxed for the first time in three days.

He had already been sitting on the couch and reading when Aaron came back downstairs, talking about outlook stands and guard posts around the perimeter of Alexandria. He was too tired to last long on the subject and when he curled up on the other side of the couch Eric began rubbing his feet to distract him. Aaron had let the subject drift, after refusing to talk about Eric going out beyond the walls again, and then fell asleep. If they weren't both so tried and stressed it would have been the first argument they had in months, which wasn't about something silly like towels left on the floor or who had bargained for the last batch of homebrew they had gotten from another resident.

Eric sighed. He didn't want to have an argument, but he was tired of having his movement limited and tired of being treated as though he were incapable, and just tired of being scared most of the time. He looked at Aaron again and resisted the temptation to run fingers along the arches of his feet, light enough to tickle. It was a strong temptation, but instead he picked up his book again and tried to get back into the story.


	35. Nation

"Do you ever think that we'll be a nation again?" Maggie was staring up at the wall, where a picture of the former Congresswoman being sworn-in was hanging. It looked like it had been intended for a much smaller frame or a scrapbook, but they had made it work when they moved in.

"One day perhaps, but not without a lot of struggle, and even then I don't think it will resemble the nation we knew for so long. Maybe it will be better and ideals of our own founding fathers will find their way into law again, but there is always the chance that those people who are preying upon other survivors will shape whatever comes to pass." Deanna looked at Maggie for several seconds, "Ultimately the survival of Alexandria and other communities like ours is what will shape the future."

"We tried democracy at the prison; it worked well when we had a council, but when the prison fell there wasn't a chance to rebuild that leadership. I was on the council." Maggie shrugged, "I liked the feeling that we could get things done by talking and making a decision that came from more than just one point of view."

"We try to do that here too. There are a lot of specialists here though, and I think ultimately we need to go back to the foundations of the United States. Many of the most influential Founding Fathers were from Virginia, so we have good intellectual roots here; we just need to follow some of their examples for learning and progress." Deanna unrolled some of the papers they were to go over, showing the layout of their community. "It's good to have people with specialized knowledge, but we all need to be able to contribute when we have such a small population."

"Skills to help us all survive. I had some ideas about that, and the sort of training programs which could get everyone involved." Maggie moved to the other side of the table, looking down at the maps.

"Good, I had the feeling that you would have ideas like that. You know what's out there and what skills people need to survive. I want to hear those ideas, and get your input on how we've been operating thus far." Deanna nodded, smiling, "I think you are going to be a wonderful source for pushing Alexandria forward."


	36. Curious

Tara sometimes wondered what it would take for some of the more sheltered Alexandria residents to really understand what life was like outside their walls, and then she usually hoped that nothing would happen to teach them that lesson. It was enough to have gone through it herself, and none of the people in this place deserved that, even if they did seem clueless and privileged.

Carol had given her a short list of ingredients to ask for, since Carol was busy and Tara was not, and she handed it over to Olivia as soon as she got in the door of the storage pantry. The other woman was nice enough, cheerful and accepting, which was nice. However, she didn't seem to understand what deprivation was like for those outside the walls.

"I heard that you were going out on a run again tomorrow. The first since you were hurt, right?" Olivia settled a small paper bag of flour into an open box before reaching for another small bag of granulated sugar.

"Yep. Daryl told us about a supermarket that looked relatively intact and Aaron marked some private practice doctor and dentist offices on our map. We're going to see if they have any prescriptions or medical supplies left, and food of course." Tara nodded, and looked around the room at the various canned goods.

"Well, I hate to ask for anything, but if you find spices or dried herbs those are always appreciated. We run through those a lot since most of the canned and dried foods don't have a lot of flavor themselves."

"I'll keep that in mind." Tara watched as Olivia went through the last of the list, "It's been a long time since I saw so many cans of vegetables in one place. You were lucky that so much was stocked here already." Tara frowned, thinking uncharitable thoughts. "The things we had to eat out there, I bet would never even cross your mind."

"Like what?" Olivia didn't look offended by the stern tone Tara had used, just curious.

"Like bugs, or animals like squirrels and frogs. We even ate a feral dog before Aaron approached us on the road." She shook her head, "I suppose he saw that; he and Eric left water and some supplies for us when we were out of water and couldn't find a stream."

Olivia nodded, "They would; they're nice like that. They don't talk about the kind of things they see outside the walls, but I'm sure eating a dog is one of the less shocking things."

Tara paused, reconsidering the woman. She seemed nonchalant about the things Tara listed, which made her wonder if she had misjudged Olivia. Maybe she would be willing to do things outside of her comfort zone to survive or maybe her comfort zone wasn't as narrow as Tara had suspected. "Maybe so. It seems like a lot of the residents here are good people."

Olivia smiled at her and handed her the heavy box of food items, "I'm glad you think so. We sure appreciate your group joining us here."


	37. Amuse

"I made a pot of coffee, if you'd like a cup before getting started." Eric leaned out through the door to the garage, having heard the outer door open moments before.

Daryl looked at him for a few seconds before shrugging and dropping the rag he had just picked up, "Sure. Thanks." He followed Eric as they moved slowly through the house and into the kitchen, not in any hurry.

"Aaron is still asleep," Eric glanced, reflexively, toward the stairs as though his words might summon the other man from sleep. He moved smoothly into pouring the coffee, and getting the sugar bowl and powdered creamer out of the cupboard. "How did the scouting go yesterday?"

Daryl shrugged again, adding sugar to his coffee, "Saw more walkers than tracks from people." He glanced at the small kitchen nook as Eric sat down, as though weighing his options, and then sat across from the redhead. "Spent more time trying to catch those chickens than scouting for people though."

"Yeah, the chickens. Aaron mentioned something about that, but he didn't want to talk about it very much." Eric blew on the coffee in his mug and smiled, "I'm anticipating a story is involved."

"Story," Daryl laughed, "Wish I'd had a camera. You shoulda seen it, I haven't laughed like that in months. Bet he'd never try to catch one before and probably won't bother trying again. Wily old birds aren't much for cooking, but the younger ones might be good for laying some eggs still. Chased them all over the yard and they were tough old birds, pecking and scratching." He took a drink from his mug.

"So glad that I could amuse you." Daryl almost choked and he and Eric both jumped as Aaron appeared in the doorway. He gave them both a dirty look before moving across the kitchen to get his own coffee.

Eric didn't seem to take the look seriously, "You should be. Bonding over embarrassing stories is a time-honored tradition. I'm sure I could think of a few to tell Daryl."

Aaron smirked, leaning against the counter, "I'm sure that I have a few I could tell him about you too."

"I'd better keep Carol away from both of ya, or she'd be glad to share all sorts of things about me." Daryl grinned and downed the last of his coffee.


	38. Sunshine

"You are my sunshine." Carol's hand came up to pat his cheek and Daryl grunted. He was only barely keeping her upright.

"And you are very drunk." As soon as he got Carol back to her bunk he was going to find out who had the idea for the ladies' night, which had been complete with several bottles of wine. Even if they were in the relative safety of the prison there were still dangers to watch for, and a need to be ready at any moment.

"Very drunk, yep." Carol giggled and he looked at her sharply.

"Yeah, not gonna be so funny tomorrow when ya'all have got hangovers and still need to get shit done." Daryl gripped her a little more tightly as he reached her cell. Rick paused as he saw them, stepping out of his own cell down the walk. He smirked as he saw Carol's condition and Daryl gave him a dirty look, so he mimed zipping his lips.

She was still mostly limp in his arms, but wasn't resisting. "Gotta get you into bed." He guided her into sitting on the bunk, and started untying her boots when her mind caught up to what he had said.

"So, you finally wanna screw around?" She grinned at him and brushed his hair away from his face.

"Stop. You're drunk and it ain't gonna happen." He pulled her boots off and set them aside, before getting her to lay down and tugging the thin blanket up to her chin. "We'll talk tomorrow about how this was a bad idea."

Daryl was about to leave when Rick stopped him in the doorway. He passed a bottle of water and two small pills to the archer. "She's going to want these in the morning."

"Thanks. She ain't the only one. I hope Glenn is prepared to deal with a hungover Maggie tomorrow."

Rick laughed, "I just hope they stay in the watchtower tonight. I'd like to get some sleep, and I'd bet Hershel would be happier too."


	39. Family

Carol handed the bottle over with a grin. "Glenn brought back several bottles of sunscreen from their last run. I thought that you might like some since you're outside so much lately."

"Thank you! I freckled so badly last summer that Aaron even said he could play connect the dots. I wasn't amused." Eric smiled and took the bottle eagerly, "Avoiding melanoma will be my new hobby."

"I figured something like that. Sunburn isn't fun for anyone." She was still smiling, "You should put some on before we start with the beans."

He hesitated as they went around the side of the house, toward the backyard. "I know everyone in your group appreciates that it was Aaron and I who found you and brought you into Alexandria, but you don't need to keep bringing us presents. It's nice and we're glad that you all think of us, but it isn't necessary."

Carol shook her head, "It isn't that exactly. We do appreciate what you did for us, but there is something else. Most of us have survived through the loss of our original camp at a quarry, the fall of the CDC in Atlanta, the farm being overrun by a herd. We saw the fall of a town called Woodbury, lost our safe haven at a prison, and then survived the downfall of the people at Terminus. As much as I, and everyone else in the group, hope that Alexandria can be a permanent home, we're hedging our bets."

She paused and reached out to take hold of his arm. "If something bad happens here, we want you and Aaron to know that we consider you both to be part of our family. Whatever happens, we would protect you as our own."

Eric looked down at her hand on his arm and then into her eyes, "Thank you." He took a deep breath, "That means a lot. I'm not even sure I can express how much right now, but it does mean a lot. I know that we both care about all of you too. It would be one less worry, if something bad ever did happen here."

She nodded and let go of his arm. "Good." Carol had a habit of bringing up heavy emotional issues and then not wanting to deal with them completely, so she changed the subject again. "So, the beans and then maybe the lettuce could use some harvesting?"

He nodded, letting the other subject go for the moment, but knowing that he had a lot to tell Aaron later.


	40. Venomous

"I heard that there are a bunch of women who want to learn archery. They've been trying to talk Deanna into getting Daryl to teach it." Tara leaned against the porch railing and grinned at Carol. They had both been watching as the archer made his way down the street toward Aaron and Eric's home.

"Does he know that?" Carol smirked, "I can just bet what his reaction would be to a bunch of the women around here trying to get his arms around them. Soft, wilting little flowers, most of 'em, and you know how he is about people touching him."

Tara nodded, "Yep. We should probably warn him. You can tell him if I get to watch."

"Gee, thanks." Carol stood, leaning over the railing slightly as Daryl moved out of sight. "Maybe tonight if he comes back for dinner. I shouldn't leave him to the ladies here." She paused and her tone turned slightly venomous, "Tara, do you remember high school? How some girls always had to be the damsel in distress in order to capture some boy's attention, and at the same time they were back-stabbing bitches to any other girl that might be competition?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I wasn't competition for anyone, but they harassed me for other reasons. Being a geeky lesbian wasn't easy in god and football country." She frowned, "But I definitely know what you mean."

"I think some of the women here are like that; they've been trapped within these walls so long they've created a new sort of drama to entertain themselves. We're going to change all of that when we start training people to defend themselves. Archery lessons aren't a bad idea, even if Daryl is the wrong one to teach them." She shrugged, "Too much of what he does can't really be taught and he doesn't need students who are more interested in flirting than the fletching on their arrows."

"I still want to see his face when he hears about their interest in him though." Tara smiled again, "If only to see how he looks at you while you tell him."


	41. Announce

"What am I supposed to do with it?" Daryl scowled down at the little ball of fluff that Aaron had just handed him. The little orange kitten looked back at him and mewed pitifully.

Aaron sighed, "Hold it for just one minute. I've got to find something to put it in so it won't crawl all over the car."

Daryl looked at him skeptically. "You're taking it back to Alexandria? Why?"

"Honestly, Daryl, it's a kitten and it was out here all alone. I can't leave it to be eaten by a walker, not when I can take it home and give it to Eric. It's cute and soft, and it can keep him company when I'm out here with you."

The kitten took a chance and tried to wriggle free, biting the tip of one of Daryl's fingers. He barely noticed, "Cat people, huh?"

"Well, animal people certainly. I had a dog once, and a few cats. I always liked having pets when it was possible." Aaron emptied a small cardboard box in the truck and propped it in the front seat of the car, grabbing a towel to shove inside. "Pets are good for your emotional well-being. Physical too they used to say, something about blood pressure being affected positively."

Daryl looked down at the kitten, who was trying to announce its displeasure at being held so tightly by mewing again. He relaxed his grip slightly and held it against his chest as Aaron finished preparing the make-shift carry-box. "We'll have to look for cat things on runs. I bet Tara would keep an eye out for food, litter, and toys. That's what they need, right?"

"Yeah, but we can make-do without most of that for now. Litter might be the only issue, and I think there might have been something that was kept in the household supplies storage like that. I'll look when we get back, or ask Olivia." Aaron held out his hands to take the kitten back, "I heard about what you used to call Judith, so I think I'll let Eric name the kitten."

Daryl snorted and handed her over to the other man, "I don't know, I think she'd make a good little Ankle-biter."


	42. Tricky

The houses were nice, but they didn't feel like home. Carol wasn't sure if there would never be a place that felt like home again. Every time they seemed to find a place that they would be safe and have a chance to catch their breath it was taken from again and everything thrown to the wind. She sighed and lifted a picture from the end table. There were pictures all over the house, and she wasn't sure if they were the people who had lived here before or if it was part of the staging that had been done to sell people on the community before the world fell apart.

If there were families here before, where were they now? She had the feeling that these were just props, but even so the people in the pictures had once been alive and had hopes and dreams for the future, were having some sort of life that had been torn from them just like everyone else. She set the picture down again, understanding why Sasha had taken all of the pictures from their other house now. It would be a momentary satisfaction in striking out those happy, smiling faces. It wouldn't help in the long run though.

She had a different idea, and after gathering the pictures from all of the rooms and down off of all the walls, she opened each frame and took out the photo. She stacked the pictures and put them in an envelope, and then counted the frames. There were more than she needed for her project, and she set the extra aside before leaving the house.

The garage door was opened when Carol approached the house, and she could see Daryl leaning over the bike and gesturing while he spoke to Aaron. He didn't seem to notice as she approached, but Eric did from where he sat on the short stair to the house. The redhead waved to her and she approached him, giving Daryl and Aaron a nod and a smile as she passed them.

"I was wondering if you could help me with a small project. The pictures we were shown about Alexandria gave me an idea."

Eric nodded slowly, unsure of what she was wanting, "What kind of an idea?"

"I was hoping to use the camera and the printer. The houses we were assigned are nice, but impersonal. I was thinking that I could replace the photos of strangers with pictures of the family, our friends, as a way to make it feel more like a home." Carol glanced at Daryl and saw that he had stilled, looking at her blankly. He must be one of those people who hated to be photographed, but that was just too bad because she was going to have a picture of Daryl Dixon whether he wanted it taken or not.

"That's a great idea. Deanna has the printer in her office, at home, but I think we still have the camera." Eric grinned at her, and stood carefully.

"In the living room; the drawer on the side table I think." Aaron added and Eric disappeared into the house to go find it, "I'm not sure how much of the photo paper she has left, or what kind of ink is still good, but that shouldn't be too hard to find."

"I'll check with Deanna, and add it to a list for Glenn if we need. I'm sure he would want another picture of Maggie too, so I have no doubt that he'd be willing to look for those things." Carol nodded, "And don't you need more pictures of the community, for recruiting?"

"We do. I lost the pack that had all of the old pictures inside, but hadn't really thought about taking new ones. It might actually work to get a group photo together this time." He looked past her as Eric returned, holding the camera. "Maybe we'll let you take those pictures this time. The camera is a high-tech one, and a little tricky. Advanced tech was never really one of my stronger skills."

Carol accepted the camera and put the strap over her head, "Thanks, I'll make that offer to Deanna too. It will give me something else to keep busy with later." She smiled and waved at them all as she left, ignoring the look of reluctant anticipation Daryl gave her on the way out. Aaron seemed to have noticed it too and she heard his laugh as she crossed the yard.


	43. Overrated

She scrambled up the slope of the small hill, clawing at the long grass to help pull herself upward. After tripping she hadn't had a lot of time to get to her feet before she had to start moving, or the walker would have been too close. As soon as she was a few feet away she pushed herself up onto her feet and continued up the hill, breathing hard and not taking the time to worry about anything other than getting away.

Andrea ran as soon as she hit level ground, continuing in the same direction she had been moving in all morning. Michonne had left her in the last town, hoping that by separating briefly they might be able to find some supplies in one of the towns they planned to search, and Andrea had been sure she would be fine on her own. She had been, mostly. She smiled to herself as she reached a small fence, and slowed to climb over it. There was a building about a hundred feet in front of her and the only walker in sight was the one following her.

She paused and looked back as the dead creature got tangled in the fence and couldn't move further. That let her have a moment of reprieve, which she took by stopping and gulping down several lungfuls of sweet, clean air. Andrea rested her hands on her thighs, bending over slightly as she caught her breath. The dirt beneath her fingernails distracted her momentarily, but she just wiped her hands down her legs and stood up straight again. She had to keep moving, even if nothing was chasing her.

The nearby building was an old workshop with a small convenience store attached to the side, like a small town mechanics shop. She had passed many of the same as she traveled around the country, and she approached cautiously in case there was anything alive, or dead, inside. The door was shut, and it was dark inside so she rapped on the glass and waited for a few minutes. When nothing seemed to stir inside she opened it slowly and went inside, letting her eyes adjust to the lack of light inside. A few windows allowed for her to see a little, and she started walking up and down the aisles, grabbing aspirin, batteries and a few bags of candy that were dotted between motor oil, windshield wiper blades and light bulbs. There was no sense to the way things were placed on shelves, so she kept walking and looking.

It didn't take long to get through the entire store, small as it was, but she had a bag that was half-full of useful items when she made it back to the front door. A shadow passed in front of the entrance before she went outside, and she froze with her hand on her knife. Andrea waited until she saw the cause of the shadow before moving again, relieved to see it was one of Michonne's walker pets. She pushed out of the building impatiently, glad that her friend had found her so that she wouldn't have to search in their next designated location.

Michonne's eyebrow lifted as she looked over the blonde, "Have fun rolling around on the ground?" Her sword was out and the walker that had tangled in the fence was missing its head.

"Being independent is a bit overrated these days. Maybe I should borrow one of your boys the next time we try this." Andrea smiled, blinking into the sunlight streaming around Michonne. "Find anything good?"


	44. Needle

She was rubbing her back against a tree, almost grinding it between her shoulders in a way that made him vaguely uncomfortable. "You got something wrong with you?"

Carol froze and looked at him, wide-eyed. "I thought that I was alone." She watched as he came closer and continued leaning against the tree.

"Well, you ain't. What's wrong with your back?" Daryl stepped even closer, looking at her intently.

She suddenly grinned, "If you had waited a few minutes you would have seen for yourself. I was about the take this shirt off; the tag is driving me crazy." They had searched through a mall the day before, several of the group grabbing clothes from the racks that littered the sales floors of high end boutiques. "It itches something fierce so I was about to slice it out of the collar."

Daryl grunted, "I can do that for you, if you'll let me."

"Should I take the shirt off?" She laughed as he blushed, and stepped away from the tree. She turned so that he had access to the back of her neck and bent her head slightly.

"One of these days I'm gonna say yes and you won't needle me ever again." His hand brushed the hair at the nape of her neck as the turned the collar outward, holding the blade of his knife so that it faced away from her flesh.

Carol waited until he had cut the tag away, and then rubbed the shirt to test if enough had been removed to stop it from further irritating her skin. "Thanks." She almost said more, about finding out whether or not she was really teasing him one day, but he was still flustered and she had the feeling he would make an excuse to walk ahead if she continued. She grinned at him though and reached out for the tag. "I think I'll burn this as revenge tonight when we set up camp. Maybe cut the others out of all my shirts so they can all burn together."

"You do that, it'll be a lesson for the rest." Daryl smirked as she laughed, "You done rubbing against trees?"

"Against trees, absolutely." There was a glint in her eyes and she bit her tongue before she could take that comment further, but he saw it anyway and shook his head, blushing.


	45. Warm

The house was dark and quiet. He hadn't bothered with any lights, even though the overcast sky had led to more shadows inside the home. He just didn't feel like turning the light on. He hadn't felt much like doing anything this day, not even having breakfast earlier. More telling was the lack of desire for coffee, which was usually a morning tradition. Eric sighed and glanced at the book he had left on the coffee table the night before. He didn't even want to continue reading, and he looked away again wondering if he were coming down with a cold or the flu.

It didn't really feel as though he were sick though, more like he was lonely and depressed. The night before had been the third in a row that Aaron was out on the road, recruiting, and he was supposed to be gone for two more. This was the part that Eric hated the most; being out for several days and nights never seemed so bad when they were out there together. Now he had to wait at home, wondering if something had gone wrong.

He wrapped a throw blanket around his shoulders and curled up on the couch. In the past he could watch a movie or some mindless television to keep his thoughts occupied, but now they just raced around and went in directions that made everything worse. A sharp rap on the front door got his attention, and he sat upright as the door slowly opened.

"Eric? Are you home?" Carol peeked around the doorframe and didn't see him on the couch at first. She looked worried, a line appearing on her brow until she saw him and smiled. "Are you alright?"

He shrugged, "Fine."

She closed the door behind herself and flipped the light switch on, "You don't look fine, no offense." Carol came around the couch and sat on the other side, looking at him intently until he broke his silence again.

"Okay, I'm not fine, but there isn't anything wrong with me either." He tugged at the edges of the throw, "It's just one of those days."

Carol nodded slowly, "I think I understand. Want to come home with me? I made a huge crockpot full of soup for lunch; it seemed the thing for a dreary day like this, and Tara made a flatbread with fresh herbs. It might be good for you to get out of the house for a while."

"I'm probably not very good company. I haven't even had caffeine yet." He did look tired, but Carol laughed.

"That's okay, I know I'm not always good company and yet I keep inflicting myself on you. Rosita has discovered a way to make a mocha with the coffee machine in our house, so you can make her happy by trying it with lunch. She's been pestering us to give opinions all morning." She stood finally, offering a hand to him, "Come on, being alone and miserable isn't going to make them come home any faster. You might as well visit with friends and have something warm to eat."

He took her hand, following her to the entry but stopped to get a jacket. "I feel cold already, just from looking at how grey everything is out there. Has it rained?"

"Not yet, but it might." Carol waited patiently. "Would that make Aaron and Daryl return before schedule?"

"Not unless it rained for more than a few hours, and they are far enough away that it might not rain there at all." He closed the door behind them and crossed the porch while looking at the sky.

"Do you know where they are supposed to be? I didn't think they left plans with anyone." Carol's question seemed innocent, but there was a hint of concern that was hard to hide.

Eric shook his head, "They don't leave plans for anyone, but I'm usually around when they talk about what route they are taking and how they might pace the trip. Things like that get thrown off quickly if there is a herd of walkers, or they find someone to watch and evaluate. I could probably reconstruct their trail if necessary, but I hope it is never necessary."

It didn't take long for them to reach the other house, and then Carol was taking his jacket to put in their closet, and Rosita was offering him the mocha Carol had mentioned. Tara took his arm and tugged him into the kitchen, already talking about something she had found on a recent run. Even Carl looked up from the book he was reading to give a short wave as they passed through the living room. It was bright and warm in the house, and he found himself relaxing for the first time since Aaron had left with Daryl on their trip.

Not everyone was present, but there were enough people jostling for space and attention that he felt as though he was more a part of them than a guest. It was closer to lunch than he had realized too, and he was directed to a seat by Carol before she went to fill bowls. Michonne sat next to him, grinning at him briefly, and Tara took the seat to his other side. Before long he had a warm bowl of vegetable soup in front of him, with a slab of flat bread, a mug of mocha and glass of water. His throat felt tight as he took it all in, and wondered at the acceptance that this group of people had shown him when certain long-time neighbors still crossed the street to avoid him some days.

"You should try to flatbread. I made it myself. Carol found this really great recipe book; old Scandinavian recipes that don't require a lot of perishable ingredients. We even grew the herbs ourselves." Tara babbled a bit next to him, but he listened and smiled, and felt as though the day had finally gotten better.


	46. Bow

The garden was a labor of love, and though Carol wondered at first whether or not it was a good idea, it ended up being something that most of the group could get involved with completing. She asked Rick first, as he had the most experience with creating a large garden space. He offered some advice, but wanted to be left out of the actual gardening.

"Carl has a lot of experience with weeding though, and he has the time to assist." Rick gave his son a pointed look when Carl groaned.

For Carol it had been one more thing to do so that they could be self-sufficient and it seemed like good exercise as well. Additionally, it seemed that most women of her age within the community had some plot of flowers, herbs or vegetables, and after helping Eric with his raised garden beds it would look odd if she didn't develop something similar for their houses. It was why she started coming up with the plans and chatting with other residents to get their thoughts. She didn't need their opinions or ideas, but it looked good for her to do that. She wasn't going to ask Eric for his help either, when he was still healing, though she foresaw asking him to visit for iced tea while they worked on the plot.

Eugene was the first to get really excited about the idea. He borrowed several books about gardening and found graph paper to draw maps of their yard. Tara spent days running around the grass plot with measuring tape, and gave him as many dirty looks as she could while he failed to notice any of them. They borrowed small wooden stakes and twine and had everything marked out before a shovel was put to dirt.

Abraham had just sighed when he saw what they were doing, knowing that he was going to be one of the laborers. "I don't get enough of this by building a damn wall around this town?" He grumbled but after Rosita volunteered to help with getting the seedlings started he backed down and resigned himself to helping clear the top level of the yard of grass. Carol offered the sod to a few other families who had trouble spots in their grass and it was hauled away for them.

Almost everyone pitched in for the hard labor, taking turns and spreading out the work. Some grumbled about the physical labor, and some grumbled about how long it would take for anything to grow, but when it was finished they had a large plot filled with vegetable seeds and seedlings, herbs and a few small fruit plants. They were even offered a cutting from a neighbor's vining rose bushes, and Carol accepted it with thanks, finding a spot next to the patio for it to be planted and covering it with a large mason jar.

She was pleased with the way things had turned out for the garden, and the amount of work that everyone had done together, even if there was sniping and complaining occasionally. If they stayed long enough they would have the chance at a good harvest, and she would be canning food like mad. When everyone else had collapsed on the grass and the patio, she went inside for the pitchers of lemonade and the glasses she had set aside.

"Alright everyone, come get a drink. Take a bow for all of your hard work, and we'll toast to our plants."


	47. Teenagers

AN: Slash; continuation from Adhesive.

* * *

A knock on the door to the garage startled both of them, and Aaron groaned before reluctantly pushing himself up. It was late evening, and he knew there was a chance that Daryl would come back to work on the bike, but he had been hoping that the man would be distracted by other things, as he and Eric had become. They had been making out like teenagers, and listening to soft music. It had been progressing rather well; going from having Eric straddling his lap to having the redhead panting beneath him on the sofa. "Do I have to answer?"

"Yep," Eric wasn't letting go of his shirt though, "I did say he could come back. He must need something if he's knocking. We'd better let him in before he walks in and sees this. It might break him."

Aaron rolled his eyes, "I think it would take more to break him. We're not even undressed. I'll go answer the door though, if you'll let me go." He sat up carefully as Eric let go, and took several deep breaths in the attempt to calm himself before getting up to cross to the door. Eric didn't move far, and only his red hair was visible over the back of the sofa, so Daryl might not even notice him there.

Daryl didn't even look into the house when the door was opened, staring at the bike while he asked a couple questions about their next trip. Aaron tried to be polite, but it was all stuff that could have waited until morning. They had just gotten back earlier in the afternoon, and wouldn't be going out again for a few days. Enough time to rest and plan out the next route, to pack and prepare for what they hoped to find, and he wanted to spend it doing as many normal things around the house as he possibly could.

"Are you going to work on the bike tonight? I didn't think there was much that was left to fix, since you've been riding it fine." He glanced over his shoulder at the sofa and saw that Eric was sitting up and watching now.

"Just some clean-up so I don't have to come by tomorrow. Rick wants me to go with Glenn and Tara on a run, but I wouldn't need the bike for that." Daryl shrugged, and looked at Aaron quickly before looking back to the bike again. "I'll close the door when I finish, try to be quiet." He smirked a little, and Eric laughed behind them, "So you can get back to whatever you were doing before."

"Goodnight, Daryl." Aaron flushed and closed the door as Daryl snickered and backed away. "I guess he noticed more than I thought he would. I shouldn't be surprised since that was one of the reasons I asked him to be a recruiter."

"True, and you shouldn't be standing over there still when you could be over here again." Eric gestured broadly over the sofa and then slid down to sprawl across the cushions again. Aaron didn't waste time in crossing the room.

"I think I remember where we were." He knelt on the sofa, leaning over Eric and nudging his legs further apart, "I think we were right here," he slid a hand under Eric's shirt, bracing himself with the other, "and here," kissing the side of his throat.

"That feels right," Eric's voice went breathy as he pulled Aaron closer, and more firmly on top of himself.


	48. Rot

It was a small hospital, for a poor county, but they were still hopeful that some supplies might have been left in the maternity area. They needed things for Judith that were not always so easy to find, mostly because they had been ruined by the elements as people scavenged for other items. The hospital had been a good find, in a small town, and without a lot of through traffic they might still find something.

Carol held a large flashlight, turning it off whenever they reached an area lit by the large windows, and her knife was at the ready. Daryl was on her left and Michonne ahead on the right, as they moved slowly through the building. The doors had been shut and nothing had responded to their knocks, but there was always a chance that a walker had gotten trapped somewhere inside or was just slow to respond to the sound. They brushed things out of the way on the floor as they moved, mostly small debris from the panic people had when everything went to hell.

Carl was following them with a medical cart. Every time they found something useful it went onto the cart, and he had grabbed a few small bins to keep the little things from falling off the flat top. It made them move more slowly, but they didn't want to miss anything that could be used later.

Daryl stopped in front of a vending machine, hitting the front Plexiglas with the side of his fist. "Anyone want a candy bar?"

Michonne shorted and looked toward Carl. "Wouldn't hurt to clear it out. Carl, you want to do that while we finish this floor?"

He nodded, "Sure," and picked up his bat. He started hitting the front of the machine as they moved past and down another hall. The noise was considerable, but still nothing seemed to notice from within the building. It seemed like they were having a lucky day when a shadow moved across a doorway to a treatment room, and they were instantly at the ready. A skeletal walker, wearing pink scrubs reached out through the doorway, but couldn't get out past a crash cart that had blocked the door. Stringy blonde hair covered the dead woman's face, and Daryl shook his head before stepping forward and putting a knife through its skull.

The three exchanged a look before nodding and continuing, and behind them there was the sound of the glass breaking. "Maternity should be up ahead on the second floor." Carol studied the map near the stairway and traced the path, "Do we want to knock for walkers in the stairwell?"

Michonne glanced back toward where Carl was still. "Maybe we should split up. We can't take that cart up the stairs; too much work to get it up there and back down again. I'll take Carl and hit the ER, if the two of you can go up together?" She grabbed several sacks from the nurses' station that sat a few feet away. They were the kind of cheap bag given to patients to put their street clothing in when they needed to wear a hospital gown. "Here, in case you find anything."

Carol shrugged, and accepted the bad, "Alright." She opened the stairway door and shone the flashlight inside, but nothing moved. Daryl rapped on the side of the doorframe with his bow, the metal ringing slightly, and they both took a step back as Michonne walked down the hall toward Carl. When nothing happened for a minute or two, they both looked at each other again.

"Might as well go for it." Daryl went in first, and Carol tried to shine the light ahead of him, but mostly cast his shadow on the wall before them. He opened the door to the second floor slowly, trying to be quiet, and held a hand over his face as soon as the door was opened wide enough for them to get through.

Carol covered her nose, pinching her nostrils closed as the smell of rot overwhelmed them both. She had to turn her head to the side in an attempt not to vomit, and the flashlight jittered slightly. It was a moment of weakness and they both pushed past it, not wanting the other to be overly concerned, and then they were in the hall.

Large windows were at either end of the hallway, and a visitor's room was in the middle, so there was more natural light than they had expected. Nothing was moving in the hall, so they pressed on toward the nursery area. Carol had hoped they would find baby supplies there, and she knew they would find other things that they would rather avoid. There were a lot of things that they had to face rather than avoid now though, so she had mentioned it briefly to Michonne and Daryl before they entered the building. They had always planned on keeping Carl from seeing it, and Michonne was troubled by the idea of it as well, so it was good that she had stayed on the first floor.

Carol knew that Daryl had found the nursery by the way he froze in place down the hall, his shoulders tense and his hand dropping from his face. "Here. Got your bags?"

"Yeah, I can do this, if you want to stay out here?" Carol moved toward the window, where families would have gathered to look in at their new babies. She glanced inside, glad it wasn't well lit. It was still bright enough to see that there had been babies left in their little bassinets. Something moved along the floor also, though she wasn't sure she wanted to look at what it was.

"No, I gotta help. There's something in there." He opened the door, using the shoulder of his shirt to cover his mouth for a moment, and they waited for the moving creature to come to the light they were letting inside.

Carol almost sighed in relief when it turned out to be an adult walker, not ready to face a baby that had been turned yet. The dead man pulled himself along the floor, reaching out toward them pathetically, and she stepped around it to put it down when it had cleared the doorway. "I'll go in, you hold the door."

She filled her bags quickly, ignoring the diapers that would be too small, but grabbing baby medicines, lotions, pins, thermometers, and other multipurpose items instead. Judith was getting too old for a lot of this, but Carol worried that if someone else had a baby they would need this sort of supply, and there was always the chance that the group would find others with similar needs. She glanced toward the bassinets again, cringing, and then walked quickly outside. Daryl was leaning against the opposite wall, and he straightened as she returned.

"Ready?"

"Yeah, let's get out of here." She swung the bags over her shoulder, the straps around her arm, and lifted her flashlight again. "I need some fresh air."


	49. Matched

"You are totally Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Michonne turned so quickly she almost tipped over, her katana dropping to the ground. "What?"

Tara grinned. "You are Buffy. Come on, you've got a kick-ass sword which isn't really specifically a slayer thing, but it is a pretty cool weapon. You can take on, like, a whole group of walkers on your own and barely break a sweat. You've got that whole stoic, focused warrior vibe when you do almost anything, but you also have a sense of humor and care for your friends. You are totally a Buffy."

"Alright. Does that make you the annoying kid-sister who never shuts up and thinks she knows everything? What was her name . . . Dawn?" Michonne picked up her sword, shaking it slightly in case there was a bug on the blade, and slid it into the sheath again.

Tara didn't take offense, "Yep. I could be Dawn. I'd rather be Willow, but I think that would probably be Carol. Smart, kinda scary sometimes but always there for us."

Michonne moved over to sit on the porch next to the younger woman. "Hershel would have been a good Giles. I'm not sure if anyone fits that role anymore."

Tara nodded, "Eugene and I were talking and we thought that Rick could take that role, at least partially since we've all been willing to follow his lead, but Rick is like Angel sometimes too. We thought Daryl could be Spike; you know, at first kind of an outsider, but a champion at heart in the end."

"You put a lot of thought into this? Who gets to be Xander then?" Michonne grinned, wondering at the odd things her family was getting up to now that they had some free time in Alexandria.

"Glenn. Totally, Glenn. No one fits all the way, but he does have the whole dependable friend and decent guy thing going on, plus he knows the geek-life too." Tara laughed, shrugging, "We're going to try fitting everyone to Game of Thrones or the whole Trek universe next. Carl gets to decide since it's his turn. He loves the Game of Thrones books."

"Turn? How many other shows have you done this with?"

"Oh, three, four with Buffy. Want to know who we matched you with from Marvel comics?"

Michonne looked up sharply, "Are you kidding, of course I do.


	50. Crooked

"Is it crooked?" Carol leaned back, trying to look at her curtain objectively. It was held in place by duct tape and clothes pins along a piece of rope, and she couldn't tell if it was crooked or not.

Daryl snorted, frowning at her for a moment, but looked at the curtain also. "Does it matter?"

"It does if the bottom slides across the floor and gets dirty every time I push it open." Carol shook her head, "I guess it's probably okay like that."

"Dirty. Isn't everything around this place dirty?" He nodded toward the corridor outside, "Gonna go on a run with Michonne. Need anything?"

Carol frowned, looking at the meager possessions strewn around her small cell. "Chocolate if you find it? No, nothing really. Who could have guessed that this would become the new normal?" She gestured around her room, "I remember weekly grocery shopping trips, the yearly rush for school clothes and supplies, occasionally getting new furniture. Now? It feels like we were so spoiled."

"I doubt either of us were spoiled, not compared to some of the people here." Daryl scowled and shifted his weight, "A lot of people deserved a hell of a lot better than they ever got."

Carol shrugged and rubbed a hand over her short, greying hair, "True, but every time I find myself wanting something now, I wonder if I really need it. I can't remember having something simply because I wanted it."

He gave her a sharp look, "Yeah, cause Ed woulda just given you whatever you wanted before." He turned away for a moment, "Sorry. I should go. If I find chocolate-" he paused and looked back at her again.

"I know, it's okay. If you find chocolate you might have to fight Michonne for it."


	51. Amazing

"Tara, get your ass off of the counter, right now." Carol smacked her leg with the wooden spoon she was holding and raised it again, threateningly.

Tara laughed and jumped down, "Alright, alright. You're just like my sister sometimes, though she would never have made pot brownies. And I wouldn't have eaten them. We were drug tested at the police academy once, and they had lists of all the horrible things that would happen if we got caught using."

"I doubt I would have been making them before now." Carol gestured with the spoon again. "I probably shouldn't mention this to Rick or Michonne. Technically it isn't illegal anymore, but who knows what kind of reaction they might have."

"I doubt they'd care too much. Not after all of the other things that have gone on in the last couple years. It isn't like you're feeding them to unsuspecting innocents." Tara shrugged and then reached out to get a tiny bit of icing on her fingertip. "Alternative medicines are totally legitimate."

She ignored Carol's rolled eyes and licked her finger, "Glenn told me that we have a new directive about finding farm animals and others that can be domesticated. I wonder, if we could find some dairy cows would that mean we could have things like butter again?"

"You learn how to churn it and I'm sure we could. I am not playing historical farm-wife." Carol smirked, "I doubt there would be much of a sign-up list for that job."

"It might be worth it if I could have buttercream frosting again." She closed her eyes for a moment, savoring a memory. "I'd totally bribe you to make more of these amazing brownies too, if you'd tell me what you'd accept in return for them."

Carol laughed, "You let me think about that, and we might come to an arrangement."


	52. Careless

"Don't be careless with that book. I don't want to get it back with bent pages and coffee stains." Daryl scowled as he passed the paperback to Tara and she accepted it gingerly. "Aaron said that Eric was lending it to you. I read it first."

Tara's right eyebrow lifted a fraction, "Really? Did you like it? There are others in the series, this is just the first."

He shrugged, "It was okay. I never saw the movies or nothing; Merle said it was for kids and he woulda made it into some kinda joke."

"Well, you should read the others too. They get better, and the stories are longer in the later books." She grinned, "So did you get a warning about bent pages too?"

"Yeah, but the rest about was about dirt or motorcycle grease." Daryl shrugged again, looking uncomfortable about the continued conversation. "Eric has all of the other books too, I just haven't asked to borrow them yet."

Tara looked up from reading the book cover, surprised, "Why not? There isn't anything wrong with wanting to read. I doubt they'd make fun of you."

He gave her a dirty look, "I know, it just feels weird."

"It's okay Daryl, you can be a closet bookworm and I'll keep your secret." She looked at him slyly, "I've been finding other books on runs; you might like some of those too. You can read them before I pass them on to Carl or Eugene. Come see my library someday and I'll hook you up with some good fiction." She winked at him and he shook his head.

"Later, I want to finish this series first." He shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets, walking away without another word. Tara laughed and stuck the book in her messenger bag.


	53. Details

"You have to find a girlfriend for Tara."

Aaron looked up from his coffee, frowning. "What?" He shook his head, confused, "Wait, what?"

Eric sighed and repeated his earlier request. "You have to find a girlfriend for Tara. Please. The next time you go out there with Daryl if possible. It is a necessity. If not for her, then do it for my sanity."

Aaron stared at him for a few more seconds, trying to make sense of what he was being asked. "Sanity?"

"Yes, my sanity, because if she tries to have another conversation with me like she did yesterday I might snap." Eric frowned and rolled his eyes, "She is trying to live vicariously through other people, including their sex lives since she doesn't have one herself at the moment. So find her a girlfriend and she'll stop asking questions."

"Questions?" Aaron laughed, stabbing a bit of waffle left on his plate, "Do I want to know?"

Eric reached out to touch one of his hands, "I know you're tired, Sweetie, but try to keep up." He let his fingers linger on Aaron's for a moment, "She wants details, and she is insistent, she even offered a bottle of Astroglide in exchange for the details. She needs to be distracted with a new romantic interest and since the pickings are slim to non-existent here that means new blood is needed from out there."

Aaron grinned, "At the local lesbian-mart down the road? Is there a special whistle we can use to get them to come out of the woods?" He thought for a few moments, setting his fork aside, "Wait, she has a bottle of Astroglide?"

"No." Eric held up his other hand in a stop gesture, "Don't even think about it." He stood and leaned over the corner of the table so he could kiss Aaron's cheek, "Find her a girlfriend or I will, even if I have to hobble out there myself and find a flannel outlet."


	54. Task

"Carol, I hate to ask for any more help since you'll already given so much of it, but I was wondering if you could assist me with one more task today. I need to get some winter bedding down from the linen closet and I can't reach it without the footstool, but I'm not supposed to be on that thing yet." Eric shrugged, frowning. "I can't wait until I can take chances like that again."

He said it with a well-worn air of someone repeating the limitations imposed upon them by others, and she titled her head to look at him more closely. "It isn't a problem, and I'm sure the restrictions will be lifted soon."

"I hope so." He sighed and followed her down the hall, grabbing the footstool on the way. "I appreciate all of the times you've invited me out to visit, and I try to get out to do some walking now that I'm allowed more physical therapy, but I'm starting to feel like cabin fever is going to be an issue. And with winter approaching it will just be more difficult to get away."

"Were you outside the walls last winter?" Carol took the stool and opened the linen closet. "I know the area can get hit by some horrible storms; I remember that from news reports years ago."

"We didn't go out much. It was hard to keep the roads clear, and we were worried that we could get stuck out there during a big storm." He looked up into the closet as she pointed at each set of bedding, silently asking which ones he wanted. "The green, I think."

Carol started handing him the sheets and pillowcases, and then the large comforter that filled most of one shelf. "Do you need help getting the summer sets back up here?"

"Not yet, I haven't washed them yet. I guess that, and making the bed, are the next tasks." He frowned, and waited for her to step back down into the hall.

"Do you think Aaron and Daryl will be going out much this winter?" She picked up the stool this time, setting it back where it had come from in the hall closet.

"I hope not, but it depends on what Deanna and Rick decide now. There won't be much else to do during winter if they don't go out, but the weather is an issue they can't ignore." He shrugged, setting the bedding on the edge of the couch. "I suppose Daryl might be asked to do some hunting. In the past we all sort of hunkered down and prepared for the spring needs or took care of some crafts. Fall is always busy because of the harvesting of the gardens and canning, winter became the season for those who could knit, sew or quilt."

She nodded, thinking about the free time some group members might have if they stayed within the walls. "Maybe this year we should focus on teaching everyone things like self-defense and first aid. If there is the time for it, which there might be, it would be good for people to be more self-reliant." Carol glanced up the steps to the second floor, "Since I'm here, would you like help with making the bed up? It goes faster with two."


	55. Blinked

It was near midnight when they arrived back in Alexandria, the guard at the gate letting them through without question. They hadn't planned on returning until the next afternoon, but after days of poor luck and facing another rainy night they headed back early. Daryl followed Aaron's car, leaving the motorcycle parked behind it on the street. Neither wanted to open the garage door and cause a lot of noise to wake people. They took a few supplies into the house though, leaving them on the floor next to the entry closet.

"You could stay here tonight, if you wanted. We have a guest room, or there are a few couches." Aaron paused at the foot of the stairs, trying to be quiet.

"Eric might not care to find me on the couch in the morning. I should get home; Carol and Rick don't care if I wake them and they usually want to know everything immediately." Daryl shrugged, "I'll come back tomorrow afternoon."

"Alright, we can go over our reports then." Aaron nodded, looking up the darkened staircase. He waited until Daryl was gone before leaving his jacket over the back of a chair, and taking his shoes off. The downstairs was silent, and he let his eyes adjust to the dark instead of turning any lights on, wandering into the kitchen for a glass of water. He wasn't sure where Eric was; sometimes the stairs were too much to deal with and Eric would stay in the guest room on the main floor when Aaron was away.

He checked the rooms downstairs though and there was no sign of him. The house seemed quieter than usual, and it was starting to make Aaron feel uneasy. He had been trying to move quietly, but he knew that the slight noise would still wake Eric; that was what had always happened in the past anyway. He didn't hear any sign of movement though, and there was no sense that anyone else was present in the house. Usually when they were home alone he could feel that Eric was somewhere close-by, an undercurrent of awareness. He didn't feel anything at the moment, except that growing unease.

Aaron stopped by the stairs again, listening for a moment, and then went upstairs. He was careful of the squeaky step, and he paused as he reached the top. Their bedroom door was wide open, and that was very unusual. Eric liked to sleep with the door shut, claiming that the warmth stayed in the room better that way, and that it was more private.

He approached the door slowly, still listening for anything that seemed out of place, but the only thing he could hear was his own breathing. Aaron looked into the bedroom and stopped short. The bed was empty. It was made neatly and there was no sign of Eric in the room. He stepped inside quickly, rounding the bed and going into the master bathroom, flicking the light switches on finally and then shielding his eyes as he blinked to adjust to the light. That room was also neat, but empty.

"Eric?" He didn't bother trying to be quiet any longer, and turned the lights off as he left, but turned them on in the hall as he checked the other rooms on the second floor. "Eric?"

All of the rooms were empty. Aaron rushed back down the stairs, leaving the hall light on and flicking the switches on the main floor as well. He checked the guest room and looked at every single sofa and chair, as if willing them to not be empty. There was no sign of Eric anywhere, and Aaron froze at the foot of the steps, not sure what to do or where to go. He was starting to panic, nearly hyperventilating, when the doorbell rang.

"Aaron?" Carol didn't wait for him to answer the door, but opened it herself, blinking into the light until she saw him. "Aaron, it's okay." She shut the door behind herself and approached him with her hands held out toward him.

"What happened? Where is Eric?" He turned to face her, still breathing erratically.

"He's fine. He's at our house." Carol reached his side and took his arm, leading him back into the living room. "I came over as soon as Daryl got home. I knew you'd worry, but he's fine. We would have left a note, but we didn't expect you back until tomorrow and it wasn't a planned overnight stay."

"He's okay?" Aaron let her guide him to the couch and he sat as she went up the stairs to shut off the hall light. She grabbed his shoes on the way back, and handed those to him.

"He's fine. We invited him over for dinner, and then played a bunch of board games that Tara and Eugene had found. He was getting a headache so he took a pain med from Rosita, and it made him tired. He didn't want to be alone so I made up the pull-out couch in the den, and he is still asleep. I checked on him before coming over here." Carol grabbed the jacket that was draped over the chair and handed that to Aaron also.

He seemed confused so she continued, "Come back with me and you can sleep there, with him, until morning. I'm sure he'll be glad that you're back, and you don't want to stay here alone, do you?" She looked around, "Do you want to bring anything else?"

"No, but I should get the lights off again." Aaron glanced around the living room, "I've never come home without him being here before." Carol moved to get the lights before he was finished standing.

"I'm sorry. We should have left a note even if we didn't plan on all of this happening. We'll do better if it happens again, I promise." She touched his arm again, "I'm so sorry that we scared you."

He nodded, and his posture relaxed slightly as he moved toward the front door, "I'll be okay, I just need to see him for myself to be sure." Aaron frowned, "It isn't that I don't believe you, I just have to see him first."

Carol nodded, closing the door behind them as they walked out onto the porch, "I understand completely."


	56. Moldy

"The end of the world makes strange bedfellows." Michonne smirked, glancing around the small group. A few years before they would have never spoken to one another, and probably barely glanced at each other if they passed on the street. Now they were friends, if not family, and she would trust any of them to have her back while on this run.

Daryl scoffed at her comment, "I ain't sleeping with any of you." He gave her a sly smile, showing that he understood the reference but wasn't going to let the others know.

"That's okay Daryl, I don't want to sleep with you either." Bob grinned at him, "Michonne already warned us about the fleas."

"Yeah, she keeps blaming me for the fleas, but she's the one who slept next to the horse on all of those runs." Daryl shifted his bow on his shoulder, looking down the road. They needed to get back to the church soon, and with supplies if they could find any. The pastor, Gabriel, had said he checked the nearby houses and the group was planning to hit the food bank too, but Daryl had needed time to get out into the open air and a few others volunteered to come with. They traveled a little further away, hoping to find a strip mall that the local phone book had in its town map, and had found more houses instead.

Carol leaned against the car, her face titled up toward the sun, "Are we almost ready? Rick is going to worry if we take too long." She glanced at Bob and smiled, "Sasha will worry too."

"That woman can worry about anything at the drop of a hat." Bob grinned back at Carol and rubbed a hand over his head, "I take your point though."

Daryl shook his head and gestured to the nearest house, "Carol and I will get that one." He started across the yard with Carol hurrying to keep in step.

"You notice how he hasn't let her out of his sight since we got out of Terminus?" Michonne laughed, "Let's get that house across the street. I'll bet they have moldy bread and potatoes that have taken root in the kitchen floor." The yard was small, and it didn't take long before they were crossing the porch.

Bob shook his head, "I'll bet that they have at least one packet of gravy mix and a box of instant grits."

She tightened her grip on her katana as he knocked on the door, and they stepped to the side as they waited for any walkers to show up to investigate the noise. "I hope not. That sounds like something we'd have to take back with us, and I am not eating grits."


	57. Agree

"Carl told me about the lessons that you used to have for kids at the prison." Rick looked up at Carol for only a few seconds, fiddling with the gun holster on his belt, and then looked out over the yard again. They were on the porch together, alone for a change, and he had a plan he wanted to discuss with her.

"And?" Carol leaned back on the porch swing, making it shift backwards until she braced her feet against the floorboards and sat at an angle. She looked up at Rick steadily, unapologetic.

"I think that maybe you should start those lessons again, here. At the meeting when I told everyone that they were going to change and that I would help them, this is part of what I had in mind. We have to do more, all of us, to make sure these people can defend themselves and become the type of community that can survive." He paused again, letting his hand fall off of his gun. "There are people here that don't know anything about helping themselves, not defensively any way. You said it yourself, they are like children. We need to fix that sooner rather than later, or at the first sign of danger they become a liability to us. We can't have a burden like that right now."

Carol nodded, "I agree. I can do knife lessons. It would be good to train people in gun safety and shooting as well. Maybe hand-to-hand or how to use their environment as an advantage." She bit her lip, concentrating on the idea, and looked down the street at the other houses. Neighbors were sitting on their porches and chatting also, though she was sure that their conversations were about more innocent things.

"Exactly, and I think we have several people who can take on those lessons, if the people here are willing to work with us. There might be push-back at first, but that is why we need to show them the need for it." He shifted his weigh, looking at her more directly. "I know you've been making nice with a lot of the residents, but they need to see that you can do more now. I need them to trust in all of us, and they've seen some erratic behavior from some of us, like Sasha. I want her to work with Tobin on training people to use rifles and other long-range guns."

"That might be a chore; convincing her to help I mean. She seems like she might be getting to a better place, mentally, but we would have to be careful." Carol shielded her eyes, waving as Michonne came up the walkway.

"Michonne." Rick acknowledged the woman briefly, and she moved to lean against the rail in front of Carol. "We were talking lesson plans. I have something I'd like you and Glenn to do for that. You both have a lot of experience in fighting walkers close-up while on runs, so I'd like the two of you to be in charge of hand-to-hand lessons and how to read situations when out beyond the walls. I know you can't teach them to have your instincts, but the basics might help some of them survive if the walls are breached or if we ever have to leave this place."

She nodded, giving them both a serious look as she considered the request, "I can do that. We can teach them to use non-traditional weapons too, whatever might be at hand in any given situation which can be used as a bludgeon. Not everyone can have a sword, but maybe we need to do a search for more tools that are easily used by the inexperienced."

"Good idea. Can you talk to Glenn about that? You'd both know what to look for out there," Rick nodded, mostly to himself, "We're all ready for action, but there are people here who probably haven't had to miss a meal or walk more than a block in months. I feel a little like we're starting a police academy, but in some ways that is exactly what we need right now."

Michonne smirked, "Does that mean we can make them run laps and do push-ups to get in shape? I'd volunteer to do that. I would be a wonderful drill sergeant."

Rick laughed again, "Sure, if that helps. They need to be able to run and know when to also." He hesitated, looking at his hands for a moment, "I don't want to screw this up by trying to take control of it all. There are things I could miss, there are ideas that I might not have. I don't want to make the same mistakes I did at the prison. Maybe we should have had a brain-storming session."

"We should do that soon so we can figure out who we want leading the lessons, and what lessons to have." Carol let the swing move forward, swinging a little until it settled and stopped, "I was thinking that Carl might be another good teacher. He's good with a hand gun and the responsibility would help. I think he's been having trouble with the other kids because he doesn't have their innocence anymore; he knows what is out there and he wants to help. He might be patient with all of the students, but I think he would have a good approach if you partnered him with Eric."

"You would trust one of the residents to help teach defense lessons?" Rick hadn't had a lot of contact with the couple that had brought them to Alexandria, though he knew Carol had spent time with Eric and that Daryl was friendly with Aaron.

"Absolutely, and he had gun experience. He backed-up Aaron on the road when they were recruiting, and I did some target practice with him a few weeks ago. They could help get the other residents to participate; maybe show that we're not so bad after all when people are unsure of our motivations."

Rick was quiet for several seconds and the two women exchanged a look, waiting to hear what he'd decide. "Alright. You know more of the people here and what they might be capable of doing. Think you could make a list of the ones who might be able to be relied upon to help us as our first line of defense? I think we might want to get them all together, and hash out a real plan later."

Carol nodded, getting to her feet, "I'll start that list right away."


	58. Scratch

"I won ten thousand dollars!" Tara pumped her fist in the air and then exchanged fist bumps with Carl, waving her scratch-off lottery ticket in front of herself.

Abraham laughed and reached out, "Can I see it?" He looked at the ticket for a few seconds, matching the little pictures and numbers, "So you did, but you know what this is worth these days?" He held the ticket over their small camp fire and let it drop. "Exactly nothing."

Tara rolled her eyes, "I know that, but you don't have to be a jackass about it. I just want to dream a little. A girl can still do that, can't she?"

"So what would you have done if you had won the money before?" Carl picked up a stick, poking the burning ticket. "My mom would always make a list of things she'd want to do if we ever won the lottery." He glanced up at his dad and saw that Rick was smiling and nodding.

"She had big dreams about vacations and a bigger house, or a new car." Rick laughed, "We knew we'd never win, of course, but it was fun to fantasize about it sometimes."

Daryl snorted, "It didn't help any of the people who did win though, when all of this went down. Rich people died just like everyone else." He shrugged, pulling several more lottery tickets from the roll they had found in an old gas station. He didn't bother to scratch them, he just fed them to the flames.

"Well, I'll still dream about what I might have done with a winning ticket." Tara grinned at Carl, "I would have gone to ComicCon in San Diego, but the rest would have been boring. Bills." She shrugged, passing a few of the tickets to Carl, and they both started scratching.


	59. Cent

If she hadn't been scared out of her mind the whole experience might have been the most fun she had ever had with a shopping cart. Instead Tara had to focus on using the cart as a weapon, wobbly wheel and all. She rammed it into the walker that was coming at her from the front, and swung the butt of her rifle into the one that was getting close to her right side. The rifle was hanging over her shoulder so she couldn't get very much leverage to hit with it though and it wasn't very effective. There wasn't a lot of time to stop and consider what she was doing, she dropped the rifle so that it hung from its strap again and grabbed a twelve pack of soda from the nearest shelf.

Her fingers went into the punch-out handle and she swing the whole thing against the head of the walker that had been grazed by the rifle stock and then carried the swing through to hit another. They both went down and she shoved the box of soda down on their heads so hard that cans burst inside. It worked though, and she pushed the cart ahead of her into the last of the walkers that was crowding her. It fell against a shelf, but didn't fall all of the way to the floor, so she grabbed something else from the shelf, a wine bottle, and swung it like a bat. The bottle didn't break, but the walker's skull did.

Tara looked around quickly, trying to assess the situation and where she was needed the most. It was supposed to be an easy run; hit a few stores in a small town that looked like it hadn't seen much traffic and get back to Alexandria. Glenn was tense, worried about them after the disaster of their last run together, and he was acting over-protective until someone opened a store room and walkers streamed out. Then he had started swearing and had to trust that they'd take care of themselves. Tara had been doing alright, and the two noobs from Alexandria were still alive so that was good. She moved to help one of them, when she saw that the girl was trapped behind a cashier's station and didn't have the reach to take out the two walkers trying to crawl over the counter.

She took the rifle off of her shoulder finally, gaining the swing she wanted with it and bashed at the back of the scraggly looking male walker first, his head bursting with fluid in a way that made her gag slightly. The female walker tripped over the rags of her dress and Tara didn't have to do anything as it fell on top of a broken candy display, impaling its own skull on the twisted metal dowels. She snorted, catching the eye of the other girl. "I'm not paying one red cent for the service in this place. The quality is terrible. How about you?"

The girl gave her a shaky smile and stood, coming out from the counter quickly, "Not a single penny."

Tara looked around again, not seeing any movement. Glenn and their other noob were standing nearby, everyone catching their breath. "So, do we still have time to clear this place?"

"Absolutely, unless it is covered in gore, we've earned it. Gathering everything you can fit into the carts." Glenn nodded, "This could have been worse." He slapped Tara's shoulder and grabbed the cart he had abandoned earlier. "Maggie wants chocolate, and after this I'd better bring some to her."

"Just don't take it all, I think I'll need some later too."


	60. Coil

She woke with a start, sitting upright almost as soon as her eyes were open. Clutching at the sleeping bag she was using as a cushion against the ground, Carol looked around their small tent nervously. She hoped that she hadn't made any noise to wake anyone else. Sighing she lay back down, but her hands still clutched the material beneath her.

It wasn't really 'their' tent anymore because she didn't have anyone to share it with. The tent that she shared with Ed and Sophia was left behind at the quarry, a bloody mess from the attack that killed her husband. She would have been sharing this one with Sophia, and the girl had helped her find it when they were scavenging from abandoned vehicles as they left Atlanta, but Sophia was gone as well. Missing in the woods, taken by something unknown, or worse she may have been turned into one of those shambling monsters.

Carol covered her mouth with one hand, biting her fingers to prevent herself from letting any noise escape. She didn't want more of Lori's pity, or Andrea's concern, or even Rick's absent-minded guilt. She didn't care for the way any of them looked at her; as though she were burdening them or that she was a silly woman they were placating with false hopes. As much as she appreciated Daryl's constant efforts to find Sophia, Carol knew that this story wasn't going to end well for any of them and she didn't want Daryl to be hurt too. She had to get up and do something, anything to take her mind off of her nightmare.

The camp was silent, and only Dale was on watch in the early dawn hours. He waved to her as she passed the RV on the way to the small spot they had chosen for their prep work. She found a small pot and went to fill it with water from the pump closest to the house. It was still dark and quiet, and she let herself think about Sophia and what her daughter might be doing if she were alone in the woods. It was hard not to think about that, she did it almost constantly during her waking hours.

Carol paused on the way back, kneeling in the clump of trees that was near their camp, and she made herself take several deep breaths before giving in to her feelings. She cried silently, letting her grief coil in her belly until it had to be released. There wasn't much to vomit up, so she covered it with dirt and dead leaves, and then made her way back to her tent. She had to get the water boiled so they could start breakfast soon, and there was no time for tears when there was work to be done.


	61. Sleeping

"Eric, are you awake?" He hovered uncertainly in the doorway of their bedroom, watching for movement. Aaron had stayed up late, looking over maps in the kitchen and making a second copy of the observations they had made on the last trip, but Eric had gone up to bed a few hours before.

"No, I'm sleeping." His voice was muffled by the blanket he had pulled over his head, and because he was speaking into his pillow, but the slight sarcasm was still noticeable. The covers moved slightly as he rolled over to look up at Aaron. "Why are you not in bed already?"

Aaron smiled, Eric's hair was a mess from the blanket and he looked deliciously rumpled but tired. "I was trying to remember everything for my notes."

"I don't want to diminish the importance of your report, but do you think it is more important than being well-rested tomorrow?" Eric's eyes slowly closed and then he blinked several times as though forcing himself to stay awake, "You should put those notes away and talk to Daryl about them tomorrow."

"I was actually going to ask if you remembered something Daryl said earlier, but I suppose I can ask him when he comes over tomorrow. Later today really." Aaron glanced toward the window, but the sky was dark without a hint to how close dawn was becoming. "I should put everything away, so it isn't all over the table during breakfast." He slipped out of the room again, Eric still watching him with squinted eyes.

It didn't take long to fold up the maps and get the notebooks put aside, and then he was ready to get some sleep himself. He brushed his teeth and changed into his favorite flannel sleeping pants before crawling into his side of the bed. Eric was mostly asleep, but he mumbled, "Cold," as Aaron spooned up behind him.

"Mmm, warm." Aaron kissed Eric's shoulder as his boyfriend's breathing evened out again, and he let the deep rhythm lull him to sleep as well.


	62. Fry

The air was fresh, and that was one of the best things she could say about the place. After being on the road and not smelling much besides rot and decay, it was nice to have a change. Carol sat at the end of the dock, having looked carefully into the water for a long time, and dangled her feet just above the surface. She hadn't wanted to take her shoes off in case they needed to leave quickly, but it was still nice.

Carl was laying on the dock next to her, stretched out on his stomach and staring over the edge at the little fish that swam beneath. He wiggled his fingers in the water occasionally, sending the little minnows scurrying for cover. He laughed a little and looked up at her. "I don't remember a lot from when I was a little kid, but I remember that we went camping sometimes. My mom hated fishing, but my dad and I would catch a bunch of fish and then we'd fry it for dinner. Like what Amy and Andrea did back at the quarry."

He turned, looking down into the water again. "We should do that for dinner tonight, if we could catch anything."

Carol glanced out across the water, to where Glenn and Rick were standing on the beach. They had rigged a long pole with netting on it into a fish trap. Glenn claimed that it was something he, Tara, and Rosita had done before they had given up on D.C. the first time. She gestured broadly toward the men, "Looks like someone else had the same idea."

She looked back down at Carl, watching as he looked across the beach. It was hard to reconcile this young man, who was taking on responsibilities on his own, with the boy she had met on a highway near Atlanta so long ago. "You've grown up so much since we met. Your mom would be proud of you, Carl, I know she would."

He looked up at her, tilting his head slightly, and she could tell that he was pleased with the comment but a little embarrassed too. "I'm just doing what we all have to do to survive together."


	63. Cute

"It is so cute it's almost obnoxious." Aaron frowned and shut the door to the house behind himself, "He even kissed the kitten before he kissed me, and he didn't know where it had been."

Daryl snorted, not looking up from his work, "Your own fault for bringing it to him."

"I know, and I don't regret it, but I still think I deserve the first kiss." He crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the wall of the garage.

"Are you jealous of the cat?" Daryl laughed and set down the rag he had been using to wipe down the motorcycle, "That's like Eric being jealous of me." He thought for a second, scowling, "He isn't, is he?"

Aaron shook his head, still frowning, "No, but you are more than a cat."

"Damn right. I'm more like a hunting dog." Daryl squinted up at Aaron, waiting to see what his reaction would be to that statement.

"I don't know if I should object to that on the basis that you are more like a friend, or see the positives in that observation. A good hunting dog is a loyal friend with valuable skills after all." Aaron sat on the steps leading into the house and sighed, "I'd wonder what kind of animal that made me."

Daryl grinned, "Carol tells me that I should be polite, so I'd better not say."

Aaron laughed, throwing one of the extra rags at Daryl. "Not fair."


	64. Easy

"Why can't you be easy for change?" Daryl didn't even stop to think how that sounded before he continued. "Why do you have to complicate everything you do by pretending to be something you ain't?"

Carol stared at him, impassive and silent. She crossed her arms over her chest, wrinkling the flowery sweater she had on over her button-up. It was one of the many things he had complained to her about this morning.

He stared back at her, finally huffing and turning to face the street instead. "You don't always have to hide, and you don't always have to be the one to leave."

"Sometimes it's better that way." She moved to stand next to him. "I don't want to leave this place, and I don't plan on leaving, but sometimes you just have to be prepared."

"There are good people here. I know you've seen that." Daryl turned slightly, looking at her from the side. "I thought you were even making friends with some of them."

"Some of them, yes." There was something in the tone of her voice that worried him.

"The ones you think could survive, right?" He sighed, wishing he hadn't started this conversation, "We could help them all survive, if they were willing to listen and we were willing to make the effort."

She nodded, distractedly, "You haven't been here to see as much as Rick and I have. Some of these people aren't worth saving."

"So you'd let them die?" He gestured toward the house that Jessie had with her husband, "People like Pete maybe?"

"Yes!" The vehemence in her voice surprised him a little, "And anyone who would knowingly let him near the family he is abusing without doing anything to stop it."

He nodded, silent and watching. He did understand her reasoning there, and he probably would support that choice knowing that they had similar scars.

"There are others here, maybe not as violent but just as evil. Would you let someone make racist remarks to Glenn or to Michonne? You're friends with Aaron now, right? Would you let someone hurt him because he's gay?" Carol uncrossed her arms, grabbing the railing with both hands, gripping it tightly as she spoke. "We can't let attitudes like that survive any more. It hurts us all when someone is unwilling to work with the group because they are bigoted against some of us."

He took a deep breath, unsure of how to start. "You might be right, but can we let people die because they're jackasses?"

"Would they let someone die because of their bigotry?" She turned to face him, "If there is a question about someone being willing to do all they could to help the group survive, it is a sign that they don't belong."

Daryl nodded again, "I see your point." He glanced at the motorcycle that was in their driveway, "You see Aaron as part of our group now? And Eric too?"

She nodded sharply, "I do, and I told Eric that a while ago. They helped us survive, and I won't forget that."

"Alright, but don't write off the rest of Alexandria. There are others here that could help us. Aaron tells me about the people here sometimes. I know which ones have caused trouble for him and Eric, and I know who has been a strength for the community. We have to give them a chance if we're staying; even if we end up taking over the place we need them." He reached out toward her, touching her elbow briefly, "I remember what you said before Grady, but staying doesn't have to mean losing people. Not if we work together."

She rubbed her elbow, where he had touched her, "I don't remember you being the optimistic one." Carol looked up at him for a moment, meeting his eyes. "I can try, but I can't stop being prepared for the worst."


	65. Unkempt

Eric was looking at him in a way that was starting to make Daryl uncomfortable. He had come over to work on the bike, cleaning it while Aaron was cleaning the car, and had ended up helping to reorganize all of their run supplies in the trunk and garage. Eric had come out to sit on the steps leading into the house, watching them work and talking with Aaron, as Daryl mostly listened.

They had such an easy-going, confidence when they were together that it made Daryl think about the other relationships he had been around, and he couldn't think of many that seemed so stable. Even Glenn and Maggie seemed so frantic most of the time; surviving so many dangers and separations but never feeling as though they had come to settle in any one emotional space. Lori and Rick had been rocky most of the time too and he had wondered if they would stay together after the baby. If she had lived. There was always some love, but very little security.

He shook off those thoughts, looking back to where Eric was sitting. The redhead was now watching Aaron as his boyfriend leaned over the back of the car, reaching as far as he could to grab something out of the trunk. Daryl laughed, "You don't miss much, do you?"

Eric grinned, "I am very skilled when it comes to finding the best views."

"So what were you staring at me for?" Daryl stood, stretching his legs out to stop the cramps that were forming from crouching next to the motorcycle for so long.

"Just wondering if you had a comb." Eric made a little gesture in the air, like a vague circle, "Getting a little unkempt. There are a couple people who are willing to give haircuts, if you want one."

"Let a stranger near my head with scissors? Not a chance." Daryl snorted, and ran a hand through his hair. He didn't care that it got grease from the bike in his hair, that wasn't unusual, but it did feel a little long.

Eric shrugged, "I'm not a stylist, but I could cut it for you if you were desperate."

The trunk of the car muffled the sound, but Daryl could hear Aaron laugh behind him. "If you cut his hair I don't think I'm that desperate yet."

He heard Aaron choke on more laughter and Eric rolled his eyes, "He did that to himself."


	66. Punishment

"This is punishment duty, right? Because I made that comment to Carol about her casseroles?" Tara sighed, sweeping a bit of hair back from her forehead. "I didn't actually mean anything by it, it's just that it feels like we've been at a church social for the last three weeks and I want a change." She dug the tip of the shovel into the ground and pried it back and forth to loosen the soil.

Eugene stopped staring at her for a moment to look down at the soil she was disturbing. "If you are being punished, why am I here?"

"Misery loves company?" She laughed and continued working on the new row. After they had put in their large garden plot most of the work was done save for planting and weeding, but Carol had suddenly decided that they could use a few more systems of compost and water gathering in their yard. Tara was trying to level some ground so a path could be placed between the different work spots, and it was not easy going.

"Hardly, misery really likes to be left alone." Eugene smiled at her, "I think I remember being volunteered because of math." He shrugged and swing the level through the air, "I never knew that being smart would lead to physical labor."

"Being smart-mouthed usually landed me with physical labor. My dad would make me clean until my elbows were going to fall off." She scraped another shovelful of dirt into their wheelbarrow and then used the tamper to press down the loose soil. When it was mostly flat she waited for him to check whether the section of path was even yet.

Eugene nodded, "I think this is going to be good enough. We have that leveling sand for the pavers so it doesn't have to be perfect." He glanced up at her, "Don't tell Carol I said that or I'll be the one on punishment duty."

"Really? What else could she request that you do that would be worse that this?" Tara laughed, "Come on, I'll flatten the loose dirt a little more up the path and then help you pour that sand, if you'll get us each a glad of lemonade from the kitchen."


	67. Magenta

"Did you ever have a bicycle when you were a kid?" Carol glanced over at Daryl, smiling when she saw how he was staring at the small group in the front yard. Tara and Glenn had found a store that had several bikes already put together and left in a display. They had taken as many as they could fit into the back of the van, and then attached a bike rack to the rear hitch. They had gone back the next day to get more, and several that hadn't been assembled yet.

Now they were in the front yard, putting bikes together and giving them to the kids that were interested, and a couple adults. The bikes were really community property, and Carol approved of the exercise they would inspire. She just wished that they had thought to get a few things like helmets, tire pumps and baskets to carry things. If they were fully equipped they wouldn't be a bad choice for going outside the walls.

Daryl shook his head, only having caught her question. "No, didn't have the money for things like that. It sucked sometimes, all the other kids seemed to have a bike." He shrugged and looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Why? You think I should go down there and learn to ride?"

Carol laughed, "No, I was just trying to picture you as a little kid getting his knee scraped while biking, scowling at everyone you passed."

He nudged her shoulder with his arm before draping it around her casually, "Stop that. I was sunshine and rainbows as a kid, you know that."

She laughed again, drawing the attention of the people in the yard. Tara grinned at her and waved, pointing at Daryl's arm around her shoulder and fist-bumping with Glenn. She said something to Eric, who was sitting on the grass and assembling one of the kid's bicycles, and he glanced up to the porch too, smiling at them. "I'm sure you were a great kid."

Daryl let go of her, uncomfortable with all of the attention they were getting. "Sure. You keep thinking that."

"I had a bike when I was a kid. I loved that thing. It was aquamarine with a unicorn sticker on the rear hub, and magenta tassels coming from the handle bars. I thought I was so cool riding it around my neighborhood." Carol shook her head, "When I showed Sophia a picture of me on that bike she insisted that she should have one just like it. Ed argued against her getting one, but eventually she had a bike under the tree one Christmas."

Daryl looked at her for several moments, not sure of what to say. He knew that she didn't like talking about Sophia much; keeping the past firmly in the past. He thought that she would feel better if she got some of it out though, so he didn't want to discourage the sharing. "You were a good mother." He held up a hand as she gave him a skeptical look, "No, I mean it. I used to watch you with her, at the quarry. You were a good mother."

She shook her head, rubbing her cheek briefly, and so he dropped the subject again, pointing to the bikes again. "Think Glenn and Tara will start a biker gang?"

Carol chuckled, "I think Rick and Michonne could become bike cops. I can just picture that, complete with that sheriff's hat, of course."

Daryl snorted, "I think you should suggest that at dinner. I want to see the look on their faces."

The door shut behind them, and Michonne stepped closer, "The look on whose faces?"

Carol tried to make her face go blank, but she glanced at Daryl again and couldn't help her grin, "No one. Just idle speculation." She waved toward the bikes, "Come out to see their success?"

Michonne's smile was wide and she held up a white and red box, "I grabbed the first aid kit, just in case."


	68. Stretch

Maggie was panting by the time they reached the house again, "I can't do another circuit. I gotta sit down." She bent over, hands on her thighs and tried to catch her breath.

"I think I'll skip the last lap too then, but tomorrow you are running it with me." Tara leaned against the porch railing and grinned, "You'll feel better if you do it."

"Or I'll be too sore to move tomorrow." Maggie laughed, "I think I might be crazy for agreeing to do this with you."

"Didn't you have chores on that farm? I would think you'd be in better shape, considering all of the walking we did recently." Tara shrugged, and started stretching. "Cardio is important when you might have to outrun a walker."

"True, but I'm hoping that it won't be as necessary inside these walls." Maggie shook her head, "I know, never assume we're safe, but I can still hope. Notice, I am out here with you, instead of in my cozy warm bed with Glenn."

"I should make him run with me, since we're going on supply runs still." Tara looked up toward the house, "I can't picture myself giving orders though, so that'll be your job. Tell him he can run behind you and watch."

Maggie rolled her eyes, "Just what I need, worry about what my butt looks like in these running shorts."

"Are you kidding? I sat on my ass for two years in my dad's apartment, and then ended up walking all over Georgia and Virginia with you people. I can tell you from experience that all of this exercise has me down two jean sizes." Tara paused, frowning, "It's a shame I don't have a girlfriend, because my ass looks awesome."

"It certainly does." Eugene stepped out from behind the porch door, and Tara laughed. "Sorry to have eavesdropped, but Carol wanted me to let you know that breakfast is ready."


	69. Bribe

"This is a bribe. You know that right?" Tara looked down into her mug, sniffing it carefully before looking back up at Carol.

"Sure, but it is also coffee." Carol stared at her with a long assessing look, "I'm not actually asking you to do anything that you wouldn't normally do anyway. I just need a couple things that they don't store here, and you might run across them when you go out with Glenn today." She shrugged, "Everyone has needs."

Tara smirked, "I know better than most. I have a cheat sheet of requests from almost everyone who talks to me these days. Even long-time residents are asking us to look for things since we found that stupid pasta machine." She rolled her eyes and took her first sip of the coffee. "Mmm. Did you add chocolate?"

"Mocha, yes." Carol tugged at the bottom of her sweater for a moment. "So, could you keep an eye out for those things?"

Tara looked at the list again, reading through the few items. "Sure, but I don't know why this has to be such a secret. There isn't anything unusual on here; nothing to be embarrassed about. I could tell stories, believe me." She laughed, "Glenn told me about the things he used to pick up for people from your group too. You are tame compared to all of that."

Carol shrugged, "I know. I'm boring, but some of that is so I can do something for a friend, and I don't want anyone to know it was me."

"Why not? We all know that you do a lot for us, without ever taking much credit, so why not let this person know you are behind the effort?" Tara sipped her coffee again, and she closed her eyes as she relished the rich flavor. "I would want to know. These days anonymous gifts can be kinda creepy."

Carol's right eyebrow quirked, "Really? I don't think this person is going to be that suspicious. They probably will know it's from me anyway."

"Can I guess what you are going to make, and who is going to get it?" Tara grinned, leaning against the counter and setting her mug down. She tucked the list into her pocket and smoothed the fabric down again.

"No. Now finish your coffee and go get some of your chores done. I think Glenn wanted an early start today, and you won't get coffee tomorrow if you don't bring me those things." Carol poked Tara's shoulder, giving her a sly smile. "But, if you are really good there might be something extra waiting for you."


	70. Shut

Her whole body jerked and everyone turned to look. Maggie pressed a hand to her chest, and willed herself to breath properly, but again she hiccupped. Sasha glared at her, as though it was her choice to have the annoying breathing problem, before raising the rifle again and looking through the scope. "You're going to give away our position. Keep your mouth shut."

Maggie did keep her mouth shut, trying to hold her breath, but she ended up hiccupping yet again and swearing softly.

"I could try to scare you, if that would work." Glenn rubbed her back briefly, his eyes on the window they were all crowded around.

She shook her head, "We're hiding from walkers. What could be scarier than that?"

Sasha gave her another dirty look as she hiccupped again, "I could shoot you."

Glenn frowned and glared at Sasha. "Not funny." He glanced around the small room they were inside of, "I could get you some water maybe?"

"That would be nice anyway, but I'm not sure if it would cure me right now." Maggie smiled at him, her eyes crinkling slightly. "It'll go away soon, I just need time to take a deep breath." She moved away from the window, holding her side as she concentrated on keeping her breathing even. "I don't think any of those old cures ever really worked."

Glenn nodded, "Maybe they were just ways for us to feel less helpless, so that we would at least feel like we tried to help, even if it didn't really solve the problem."

"The offer is always nice, even if it isn't a cure." She smiled at him again, and then brightened as she noticed that she hadn't hiccupped again. "Maybe sometimes all you need is the distraction for it to work."


	71. Statement

"I really appreciate everything that you've been doing for Eric. I was worried about him being alone while I was out there with Daryl." Aaron leaned against the kitchen island, setting his bottle of beer on the counter. "We were usually together out there, and when we were here it wasn't always so easy."

Carol looked up at him, pausing as she finished wiping down the prep area. She had been chopping vegetables to create a tossed salad. Daryl and Aaron had brought in several rabbits, and a deer, which had been butchered and then seasoned for grilling, and they were hosting a small barbeque in the back yard. Daryl had volunteered their house since so many of their group would be present, and Carol had agreed so that they would be doing the clean-up as well. It had been a perfect day for it, and she worried that it wouldn't last.

"Some of the neighbors. I've heard." She nodded, more to herself, and continued, "I enjoy spending time with him, so I'm happy to help when I can." They both looked out the back window, to where Eric was sitting with Carl, teaching the teen how to play chess while Michonne and Tara watched and chatted next to them. "It isn't good for anyone to be alone too often, and sometimes this place seems too good to be true after all of the things we went through out there."

"I think I understand. It isn't easy to let go." He picked up his drink again, sipping it before making a broad gesture with the bottle, "This turned out pretty well. Daryl and Rick thought that some of the rabbit would be ready soon, but they're arguing about meat temperatures and the grill settings. It seemed like a good idea to get out of that conversation."

Carol laughed, "You don't know the half of it. Those two can be like brothers; they will argue about the little things and then have each other's back over anything else. I never would have predicted that when I first met either one of them." She shook her head and wrung the dishrag out in the sink. "I'd bet that neither of them thought that I would have survived this long too."

"Daryl has a lot of faith in you. I think he trusts your judgement more than his own sometimes." Aaron watched her carefully as he made this statement. He had seen a lot between this group of people before approaching them, so he had never believed the act Carol had put on for the other residents. He heard a lot about her from Eric too, and he was willing to bet that she was more honest with them than any of the other residents that she interacted with in Alexandria. There hadn't been many outside their group to be invited to this small party.

"Daryl is a good man, but sometimes he second guesses himself when he doesn't need to." She glanced outside again, toward the barbeque pit. Daryl and Rick were still standing there, gesturing at the different pieces being grilled and grinning. Rick stabbed one with the long two-prong fork and the charcoal underneath smoked briefly.

"That doesn't change the fact that he trusts you. Considering how long it took him to do more than grunt when I tried to talk to him, I think it's important. He needs you. Maybe not in the same way that I need Eric, but anyone can see that he relies upon you in a way that he doesn't with the others, even Rick." He shrugged, taking her silence as a hint that he should change the subject again. "Do you want help getting all of this outside?" He gestured with the bottle again, pointing at the dinnerware and salad she had just finished putting together.

"Sure, if we can get some of this out there maybe Glenn and Maggie can come in a grab the rest." She flashed a smile at him and grabbed the large salad bowl.


	72. Wrong

He was late, and she knew that she shouldn't worry so much but it was hard not to anyway. Carol looked down at her watch for the fifth time in as many minutes and sighed. Daryl was probably the most dependable person to do a run with and he was always cautious about the people he came out with, so it was unusual for him not to be there yet. She stepped back from the doorway again and looked around the general store to see if she had missed anything useful.

There were a few racks of clothing that she had only given a cursory glance, so she gave them a second chance now. She flipped through the shirts, all in bright colors that had faded a little from the dim light coming through the front windows. They were simple, and in a style that she would have worn many times in her life, but they held no appeal for her now.

"Looking for something new to wear?" Daryl's voice came from behind her suddenly and Carol jumped, dropping the shirt and hanger in her hands. The sound as the plastic hit the floor seemed loud in the small space. She hadn't even heard him come into the building. That wasn't a good thing to miss.

"No, just looking while I waited." She spun slowly to face him. "Something go wrong? You're late." She smiled and quirked an eyebrow at him and he snorted softly.

"Nothing wrong, just found a lot of peanut butter." He elbowed his backpack, which looked as though it were bulging with jars. "Ready to head back?"

"Sure, just waiting for you to return." She shook her head at his rolled eyes, "I'm not nagging, I swear, it's just what happened." She lifted her own bag and shouldered it, "I found two solar lanterns and some water filters."

"Good stuff." He opened the door for her and followed her through. "I'm surprised that more of this stuff isn't gone already. We won't have luck like this for much longer."

Carol nodded, heading for the passenger side of the car. "True, but we'll get by somehow. We have so far." She paused before opening the car door and looked at him over the roof, "As long as we all have each other."


	73. Fold

She remembered the first time she had seen a walker. She was standing by the kitchen sink, washing dishes and listening to Sophia talk about the homework she had been assigned when a strange movement had caught her eye and she looked out the kitchen window. One of her neighbors, Mrs. Simmons, was staggering across the yard, blood dripping from a gash in her throat. Carol had frozen in place, her mind not comprehending what she was seeing.

Her first instinct had been to run outside to see if her neighbor needed help, but before her mind had supplied her feet with the orders to do that she saw something else. Another neighbor had approached Mrs. Simmons and was brought down with a quick lunge from the little old lady, and soon there were two bloody neighbors in the yard. That was when Ed had come home, his truck roaring into the driveway and screeching to a halt. The noise had gotten the attention of the two in the yard, but apparently he knew what to do.

There had been two gunshots and then he was running into the house shouting at her to grab certain items. She had to fold some clothes and pack their suitcases, empty the fridge into a couple of their camping coolers and keep Sophia out of his way as he loaded up their other vehicle with camping supplies and his guns. There was no time to ask questions, and he was clearly in no mood for them either, so she waited until they were on the road and Sophia was begging to know what was going on. Then Ed was only too happy to tell them about how he had been right to prepare for the end all along, and how lucky they had him to protect them now that everything had gone to shit. They had heard rumors and the news had been covering something that sounded confusing and scary, but she had no idea it was so bad until Mrs. Simmons had crossed their yard.

Carol sighed, grabbing the edge of the fence and pulling it apart where she had unlaced the hole. She had to get the water hoses out of the muck on the bottom of the water channels again, or the prison moat as it was called by some of the children. She wasn't as afraid of the walkers as she had been at the beginning, and she knew more about them now and how they behaved. She wasn't going to be stupid, or lack caution, but she didn't need to freeze in place like a child anymore when things needed to get done.


	74. Pack

"Frack!" Tara smacked the small device against her other hand, knowing that it wouldn't do any good but wanting to take her frustration out on it anyway. It was a small thing, something she had carried since she left her dad's apartment, but it was all she really had left of her old life. A small mp3 player with all of her favorite songs, and now the power was truly gone. Maybe forever.

"So, you like Battlestar Galactica too, huh?" Eugene was watching her, a small smirk on his face. "I loved that show."

Tara clenched her jaw for a moment, and took a deep breath. "Yeah, I liked that show. Was that all you got from my little problem?"

"That's all I got that seemed important. If you thought that the charge on that was going to last very long, you were obviously mistaken. I bet I could figure out how to rig something for you if you wanted though. There were new types of chargers coming out and some may still work under our present circumstances." He shrugged and looked up the road at the others. They were falling behind but neither of them were too concerned yet. Everyone was still in view anyway.

"Really? And what would you want in return?" She looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"How about this; when we have a chance to look into a store that sells any kind of cell phone, computer or electronic tablet I will help you find what you need to charge that thing, if you'll help me learn something about using a knife." He smiled and tilted his head to one side, "I'd ask one of the others but they keep looking at me like I might get punched again."

Tara let her backpack slide down her shoulder and she packed away the small device, "Deal."


	75. Resolute

"So, you're the younger sibling, but you are also the bossy one?" Tara held up a hand at Sasha's dark look, "His words, totally his words." She grinned as Sasha shook her head.

"Yeah, Tyreese is my older brother. And I would call myself resolute, rather than bossy. I just know what I want done." Sasha looked at Tara for several long seconds, "Why?"

"I had an older sister, so I know the burden of being the younger sister who knows more." She grinned again, "My sister was like your brother in some ways; she took care of people and trusted them too much sometimes. Heck, she even trusted the governor and let him into our dad's apartment. She made dinner for him, though I bet he never appreciated it."

"You can't blame her too much for that. A lot of people trusted him, even Tyreese and I were at Woodbury for a while before people figured out that something was wrong there." Sasha shrugged, staring up ahead at her brother where he was walking and talking to baby Judith. "But I agree, sometimes it isn't so easy to guide someone who is supposed to be older and wiser than you."

Tara nodded, "We have the hard job. My dad always looked to my sister to get things done, but really I was the one to finally do those things most of the time."

Sasha looked at her for a moment, "Was there a reason you brought this up?"

"Not really, just trying to get to know people." Tara made a sweeping gesture toward the entire group. "I'm kind of the odd person out here, so thought that maybe it would be good to talk to everyone a little."

"Is that working for you?" Sasha shifted her rifle so that it lay against her other arm, taking a deep breath as the weight was rebalanced. They were all carrying whatever they had grabbed on the way out of Terminus, and they were all tired from the walking.

"I kinda thought so, until now." Tara smiled, "I'll stop bugging you so Bob can come over and chat you up again."

Sasha gave her another look of exacerbation. "He isn't chatting me up."

"Uh-huh, you keep telling yourself that, but even Tyreese thinks it's cute." Tara laughed, slowing her steps until Sasha had outpaced her and she was walking next to Maggie again. "She really is as stubborn as everyone told me."

Maggie rolled her eyes, "As if you aren't just as bad."


	76. Dependent

He hissed as his shoulder impacted with the wall, and bit his lip to prevent himself from making any other noise. They didn't want to draw the attention of the small herd of walkers coming through their look-out spot. Eric gave Aaron a dirty look, there hadn't been a need to push him and while he understood the instinctive need to protect he didn't like being treated as though he were helpless. Aaron didn't notice his look though, and was still staring out the small window they had found, so he continued biting his lip while he took a few steps back.

The look-out spot was a store that they had used several time before as a quick stop. A place that had been cleared and secured, and that had a few hidden supplies for an emergency. They had just stopped to take a break and to look over their maps when the herd had started drifting through the small town. The car was sitting outside, as was the RV, but they had brought in a few things when they had arrived so Eric busied himself by taking some of the dried fruit and water from his pack and searching through the small stash in the store for the granola bars he had left the last time. They might as well have lunch while waiting for the dead to pass.

He had almost everything ready when Aaron finally moved away from the window, "I think it's thinning a bit but we should still be quiet." He hesitated before sitting at the little card table. It had been a product sold by the store, but had long ago been set-up for their stops. "I'm sorry about pushing you. I thought that one of them had seen you and I panicked."

Eric shrugged but didn't say anything. He just passed a bottle of water to Aaron before opening one for himself.

"Did I hurt you?" He was frowning now, and looking worried.

"I might bruise, but it's fine. It wouldn't be the first time." He tried to ignore the blush that spread across Aaron's face, "However, I would appreciate it if you would stop seeing me as some kind of helpless dependent. I can take care of myself. Nothing has happened when we separate on the road even. I'm not going to do anything stupid to draw attention to us out here, and I've been out with you plenty of times so you should know that by now."

"I do know that, and I know that you've rescued me just as often as I've rescued you when we've gotten into trouble out here. I just can't help reacting when I see you in danger." He opened one of the granola bars with a soft crinkle. "I'll try to do better."

"Good. I'd hate to have to brain you with a door frame." Eric smiled to show that he was kidding, and grabbed some of the dried fruit. "I don't know how I'd explain that to Deanna."


	77. Frightening

It was a nice little park at one time, but without care the grass had gotten overgrown and there were more weeds than flowers in the bordering flower beds. The playground equipment had once been state of the art though, and safe, so with a little testing they were approved for use again. Carl was sitting on one of the swings, holding Judith, as his father and a few of the other adults plotted the route they wanted to take up to Virginia.

It wasn't that complicated if they took some of the larger roads, but there were places where Rick wanted to take more cautious paths to avoid some of the cities along their path. They had vehicles to get them there, but with so many people they were still limited on space for supplies and needed to plan for scavenging or foraging along the way. Noah had some knowledge of the journey so he was pointing out possible stops along the way and recounting what he remembered about some of the smaller towns.

Carol and Sasha were both helping Daryl clean the rabbits he had killed. The park area had several built in firepits for grilling, and Tyreese was clearing a couple that were close to one another so that they could use both at the same time. Carl had been out in the woods with Glenn for a while, gathering wood for small fires and the grilling, but they had finished their task and so he was taking a break by watching his sister as Glenn watched over Maggie. She hadn't been doing well after losing Beth.

Carol sighed, looking down at her hands, which were covered in blood from the rabbits. "I sometimes wonder if we'll ever really be clean again."

Daryl gave her an odd look, but continued skinning one of the small creatures. Sasha just shook her head, not bothering to look up, "Maybe someday when we can stop living day to day on the road. Maybe not for a long time though. We don't have the option of keeping our hands clean anymore."

"It's frightening, how normal this has become. I used to hate going camping, and now that's all we do." Carol grabbed her knife again, carrying on with their task.

"I had never gone camping before. Tyreese and I were city kids. The most we saw of the outdoors was at parks like this, or the neighborhood pool. I never imagined that I would be doing anything like this," Sasha gestured at the pile of rabbits, "But whatever it takes to survive."

Daryl gave them both an odd look again, shaking his head, "I forget how spoiled some of you people were before all of this." He smirked at Carol, "In some ways, not all."

"Hey, I had my share of dead animals to deal with before. I just didn't have to kill them myself." Carol's smile was slow to start but she didn't bother to hide her amusement. "We'd be pretty lost without you Daryl. Can you imagine the rest of us trying to track down a deer or a mess of squirrels? It would be like one of those old cartoons with us as the bumbling idiots running into trees and swamps."

Sasha laughed, "And then not being able to kill the animal because someone thought that it was too cute."

He shook his head at them again, "You'd have figured out something. This group is fulla survivors. You'd have found a way."


	78. Kneel

The backyard of the house was completely overwhelmed by weeds and long grasses. At some point a kudzu plant had sprawled across the pathway to the garage and the entire building was covered in the green leafy plant, obscuring its walls and rooftop. Carol looked back at it and sighed before trudging through the yard with the others toward the house. They weren't going to stay at this place long, but it looked as though it was relatively untouched and it was far enough from the road to make it feel a little safer.

They waited on the doorstep as Rick, Daryl and T-Dog cleared the inside of the house, checking each room for a stray walker or animal that could pose a danger. Carol took Lori's elbow, having noticed that the woman looked about ready to topple over from the heat and exhaustion that was plaguing all of them this spring. It was not an easy time for anyone, and being pregnant it was even worse for Lori. "Don't worry, it won't take them long. It doesn't look like the house has seen any activity for a long time." She tried to sound optimistic and Lori gave her a tired smile in return.

Glenn was peering through the side windows, moving the weeds out of the way. "It looks small, but clean. Maybe we'll be lucky and there won't be anything inside." He shrugged and moved back to join them, taking Maggie's hand.

He was right, and it wasn't more than a few minutes more before Rick stepped outside to let them know that it was secure. "Carol and Maggie, could you check the kitchen for supplies? Glenn, could you check the bathrooms for medicines? Beth, could you help Lori set up a sleep space in the living room? I think we can stay the night here, at the very least. Daryl and I are going to see if we can get into that garage, maybe see what's inside, and then we'll secure the windows and doors." He nodded sharply and they all moved to start doing a task, requested or not.

Carol and Maggie went into the small kitchen together, both frowning at the dirty space. Whoever lived here was a slob, and then nature had taken over to grow mold on whatever was sitting in the sink. Maggie sighed and started opening the cabinets above the counter, while Carol moved to kneel on the floor and look below the counter space. They mostly worked in silence, but the thud of cans showed that they were finding some food.

"Look, four cans of stew, and three boxes of mac &amp; cheese. There are a bunch of beans and other veggies too." Maggie was grinning now, looking down at Carol as she finished looking through the pots and pans under one part of the counter.

"I didn't find much food, but if we want a new skillet or pan there are plenty here." Carol sighed and sat back on her heels, "There is some Crisco and vegetable oil down here though, so if we want to fry something it would be an option."

"Fried and canned might not work, but maybe we can pack it up in the back of one of the cars and use it for frying any vegetables we find in the old gardens." Maggie shrugged and helped Carol to her feet again. "Or we could use the Crisco to make biscuits over a camp fire."

"That sounds like a good idea, and those would be easy to make." Carol looked over the stack of cans that lined the counter, it was more than they usually found in their temporary shelters. "Let's go tell Rick that we have food for tonight."


	79. Moan

His whole body jerked as he woke suddenly. It was dark, there was a hand over his mouth, and he could hear a moan coming from outside the RV.

"Shhh, they just started passing us and I don't think they noticed anything." Aaron whispered to him as he removed his hand from Eric's mouth. "Sorry, I wasn't sure if you'd make a noise when you woke so suddenly."

Eric shook his head, "I understand." He didn't want to continue whispering, for fear that the dead moving around outside might hear, but it was a comfort to hear Aaron when they were alone together in these situations.

They often parked the RV for the night, locking the door and covering the windows, so they didn't have to stay up watching. It was better to use natural camouflage to make the vehicles look like any of the others abandoned along the road. There were even humans that passed without looking twice, thought the first time that had happened Eric had been alone and it was the middle of the afternoon. He had been scared that someone might try to break in, and who could guess how that might have gone.

He relaxed slightly as Aaron rubbed his chest, "You should go back to sleep. I'll stay awake until they've all gone by us."

Eric snorted softly, "Like I could sleep with the noise they're making out there. Sounds like a drunken orgy when they moan like that." He felt Aaron's laugh against his shoulder, but they fell silent again, listening for a break in the herd outside.

The night seemed to pass slowly, and it took a long time before the noise outside faded. By that time they were both more asleep than awake, and Eric sighed deeply as he finally felt a little safer again. No matter what precautions they took, he would always be on alert when there was the chance of danger, and when they were outside the walls there was always the chance for danger. Aaron tightened his arm around Eric for a moment, "Now sleep, we'll have to be up again soon."


	80. Complain

It sometimes amazed Carol that more people didn't complain about their circumstances. They had all lost so much and their lives had changed so drastically in the last few years. It wasn't overstating things to say that everything had changed for everyone. She knew that they had survived so much and after coming to the realization that life would never be the same, most would see that complaining was a waste of time, and an annoyance to others.

There were sometimes small complaints. 'It's not my turn to do dishes or laundry or cook,' or 'So-and-so is driving me crazy by humming all day long.' But it wasn't really serious and it was usually worked out with a little honest communication. Communication was very important now. They had gone from being stranger to family because they had to reply upon one another, and they couldn't do that without trust, and the trust was hard won through communication and overcoming mistakes.

It was easier to survive with other people now, and Carol knew that as much as she sometimes wished she could leave on her own, it was better with people. She sighed, watching Rick as he played with his daughter. Since Terminus they had come to understand each other very well, and it seemed that Rick was starting to understand why she had done some of the things that he had been so against in the past, now that he had done things just as bad. There was more trust between them because of that understanding, and that is why she had been so honest with him about the weapon situation in Alexandria and Jesse's home life.

They might not have clean hands, but they didn't seem to have much worry over their consciences anymore. She smiled at the group sitting outside, as they looked up toward the house, and waved. The lemonade was almost ready and she stopped stirring after another moment. She wasn't going to complain about these little tasks, even if she was the one who almost always did them. They were things to keep her hands and mind busy, and gave her some measure of control over her day. They were also ways for her to prove that she was needed, and sometimes that was what she wanted most of all in this new world.

Carol gathered the stack of cups and the pitcher of lemonade and moved toward the door, smiling at Glenn as he held it open for her. "Thanks. I think we have enough for everyone."

"And isn't that a nice change from being out on the road?"

She nodded, setting the cups on the patio table, "Yes, but even when we had very little we managed to share it."


	81. Whip

"I never thought that such simple things would be what made my day so much better." Carol leaned back against the porch, tilting her face up toward the sun. It was a beautiful day and she meant to enjoy what free time that she had by sitting outside.

Daryl snorted, swinging the porch swing a little and then catching it with his feet on the flooring. "Yeah, cause you were so demanding before. Such a prima donna, right?"

She smirked and shook her head, "No, I just meant that I had a hard time imagining all of us in a place like this, back when we were on the road. Even when we were at the prison. It was good there, and it felt safe, but we know now that it wasn't. Plus, there was always something to be done so I never had a chance to really enjoy it after the people from Woodbury moved in with us."

"That's because you didn't know how to delegate back then, and now you let other people do their own damn jobs instead of trying to do it all. You should have whipped them all into shape from the beginning back then and you'd have had a chance to relax." He shrugged when she gave him a pointed look. "I hear things."

"Eric talks a lot, doesn't he?" She smiled and shifted her weight on her feet, "It's true, I don't try to do everything any more, and that is a good thing." She titled her head up to the sun again. "I love the feeling of being here in this moment; the sun on my skin, the wind in the trees, the songs from the birds. And of course, the fact that you are here for a few days instead of being out on the road again."

"Have to keep going out. If those Wolves are a danger we need to be prepared and watch for signs. We might save some other people who they would try to kill too; more for our side if it comes to that." He looked down the road, to where he could just barely see the corner of Aaron and Eric's porch. He could guess that the couple were out on their own porch, enjoying the weather, but he couldn't see if it was true or not.

"I know, but I worry. Maybe we need more than just the two of you going out. Glenn and his team are still doing runs, but it isn't the same. Maybe we need another team to do security checks on the surrounding roads and abandoned buildings." She looked down from the sky, glancing at him quickly before looking away again.

"Not you. I know you'd be good at that sort of thing, but there is enough for you to do here. Not Eric either. Aaron mentioned that he wanted to get back out there with us, and I think they've argued about it, but I don't think it's a good idea. So don't suggest that the two of you would make a good team to go out on your own." He squinted at her, not sure why he had said so much, "I'm not kidding."

Carol shrugged, not looking at him. "I know."


	82. Name

"You just made that up. That is not a real word." Michonne quirked an eyebrow at Tara and pointed at the Scrabble board. "I do know how to spell."

Tara sighed and picked the letters up again. "It is a real word, it's just a word from Battlestar Galactica."

"Not a real word. If it isn't in the dictionary, it doesn't count." She grinned at Tara, trying to keep the game from being too serious. It was after all just a game.

Eugene had perked up when Tara mentioned the television show though, "I miss that show. It hadn't been on for years before all of this happened, but it was one of those few really good science fiction shows that had a sense of direction, you know what I mean?"

Tara nodded, "Yeah, they actually had a plot that continued through the whole show instead of jumping all over the place like so many shows. I liked that too, good writing, good acting, good everything." She placed another word on the board and shrugged, it was a word in the dictionary though it didn't get her many points.

Michonne dutifully added them and wrote them on their score card though, before grinning and making a much better word. "I was hoping you would leave my 'Z' alone so I could get that triple word score again."

Tara sighed and let her head fall back against the cushion of the sofa, "I live to please. I guess."

Eugene spoke up again, "We should play a game, Tara. We could make up our own rules so that all of the words have to come from fandoms, like Battlestar or Star Wars, or even Lord of the Rings. We just have to name the fandom and give an example of how the word was used."

"Sounds like a lot of trouble." Michonne shook her head, "I'll bet that the two of you would have a lot of fun though. Maybe Carl would know enough of those fandoms to be able to compete with the two of you." She looked at them for a moment, a little seriousness creeping into her expression, "I think he could use a friend from our group again, instead of those kids he's been hanging out with."

"We could definitely invite him to play." Tara nodded and glanced through her letters. "He'd probably beat me as badly as you are though."


	83. Wink

Aaron pulled into the driveway with a sigh of relief. It wasn't a very difficult run, but they had been out for a few days and he was glad to be home. Daryl parked the motorcycle next to the car and was already rifling through his pack as Aaron opened his door. This was his favorite part of the recruiting runs now that Eric was staying in Alexandria, and he didn't have long to wait before the front door was flung open. Daryl barely looked up as Eric rushed across the yard to the side of the car, grabbing Aaron without any preliminaries and kissing him soundly.

"I was worried." He didn't let go of Aaron yet, though he took one of the packs from the car as it was passed to him.

"I can tell. I wish you wouldn't worry, but I know I do the same." Aaron looked over at Daryl as the man snorted softly, "Don't roll your eyes at us. I know of a few people who are worried about you too, so maybe you should go assure them of your continued survival."

Eric glanced over as Daryl got his pack over one shoulder, "You could come back for dinner later if you want. I made a fresh loaf of bread this morning."

"I should check to see if Rick needs anything, or if the group has plans for me." Daryl shrugged, not quite looking at them. Whenever there were moments like these, he seemed to be torn in two different directions; wanting to be there and yet wanting to be anywhere else. "Maybe tomorrow would be better."

Aaron nodded slowly, not wanting to push after they just spent days lone together. "Tomorrow would be good."

Eric didn't hesitate to say what was on his mind though, "Will you get a welcome home kiss when you get back to your house?"

Aaron barely stopped himself from grinning as Daryl flushed and stammered his reply, "No, who do you think would be waiting there for me?"

"I don't know. Carol? Rick? Michonne maybe?" Eric winked, "I can imagine the whole family waiting on the porch so every single one of them can kiss you hello."

Aaron finally gave in and laughed, "I can picture that too. Especially Abraham and Eugene."

"Stop." Daryl was flustered now, and he shook his head slowly, not sure what to say.

"Well, if no one is kissing you it is a damn shame because someone really should be doing that on a regular basis." They started moving toward the house, Eric barely limping, and he followed part of the way into the yard.

"Was that an offer?" Daryl stopped a few feet away, finally getting some of his spark back.

"Sorry, but Aaron might object to that. He doesn't even like it when I kiss the cat." Eric glanced at Aaron's face for a moment, not sure what his expression meant.

"I don't know, I might not object if it was only once and I got to watch." Aaron looked thoughtful and then shook his head, "No, bad idea. I play well with others, but I don't like sharing. Besides, I think there is someone else who might not like that idea too much."

"Maybe." Daryl shrugged, adjusting the strap on his bow where it lay across his back, "I'd better get home, and you'd better get inside before you get cited for public displays unfitting for the neighborhood."

Eric laughed too then, "As if that would stop us." They kissed again, only breaking apart when a door slammed down the block. "See?"

Daryl huffed slightly, "I've got to go. I'll see you both later."


	84. Soothe

She liked having watch on the full moon nights. It was almost as bright as day when they were in an open area, so she didn't have to worry so much that something would sneak up on her from the sides. Tara sighed, quietly, and looked over the group. Most were sleeping, but Carol caught her eye and sat up as they made eye contact for more than a few seconds.

The other woman was one that Tara looked up to; she knew there was some history between Carol and some of the others, but she didn't know what it was and she wasn't sure if she wanted to know. All she saw was that Carol was someone who got stuff done when it needed to be done. No matter what the task, Carol would be doing it before most of the others even noticed that there was something that needed doing. It was something she aspired to for herself; being useful and skilled.

"What are you thinking about? You look so serious, Tara." Carol moved away from the others, talking softly, and sat on the fallen tree with her.

"The future. Or what might have been my future, if this all hadn't happened." Tara shrugged, "I had been a cadet at the Police Academy, near Atlanta. I wanted to be a cop."

Carol smiled softly, "I have a hard time picturing that. You seem to do well with all sorts of people, and you can be tough, but I have trouble picturing you in uniform."

Tara shrugged, "I did well in my classes, but now? The few people I've met who were cops before make me wonder if I would have lasted long on the force. Not because I don't think I could do the job, but because they seem to be controlling assholes and I don't know if I would have wanted to work with people like that."

"You didn't know that a lot of cops were control-freaks?" Carol looked as though she might laugh, but she held back in order to be quiet and not wake the others.

"Yeah, I guess I knew that, and I could be kinda controlling too back then. Now, nothing seems to be under control so I've learned to roll with it as it comes." Tara shrugged again, tilting her head to look at Carol. "So if none of this had happened I would either be a cop right now, or I would have quit and done something completely crazy."

"Crazy? Like what kind of crazy." Carol's eyebrow quirked and she smiled again, wanting to hear what Tara could come up with.

"Like run away and join the circus. I thought about going to trapeze school once, but my sister laughed so hard she cried. I was disappointed, but I was ten years old so I got over it pretty quickly." Tara was grinning now, her earlier worries gone.

"Well, if we run into any circus people you might still get a chance for that dream to come true." Carol snickered, "If that happens maybe I'll sign up for tightrope lessons."

"I'd pay to see that. Do you think we could convince Daryl to become a lion tamer, or Michonne to be a flame-juggler?"

"It wouldn't hurt to try. I'd love to see their expressions if you ask them that, so don't do it unless I'm there." Carol hesitated, "I didn't come over to soothe you, but you seem happier now. Are you?"

Tara nodded, "I am. Sitting quietly, especially at night, just makes me think of all the things I've lost. It's nice to have that interrupted. Thank you."

"Maybe we should be doubling up on our guard shifts when we're out here in the middle of nothingness. It gets lonely for all of us." Carol touched Tara's shoulder briefly, "None of us should feel alone, if there is someone else willing to share the time."


	85. Allow

Tara held up a pair of high heeled shoes, making a face. "I never understood the desire that some women had for these shoes. Four inch heels? No thanks. If I shot myself in the foot it would hurt less."

Michonne laughed and took the shoe from her, "These are ugly, but I used to wear heels like this to work sometimes. Not all day of course, but when I had to leave the office for a deposition or court appearance." She shrugged and set the shoe back down on the display. "I suppose as a future cop you were all about the motorcycle boots and Doc Martens."

"Oh yeah," Tara grinned, "I loved my clunky boots. They were comfortable and if I needed to kick anyone they were so effective."

Carol shook her head, "I never really thought about shoes, other than as something practical to wear and the cheaper the better if I didn't want Ed to get mad. Payless was the only shoe store I was allowed to shop."

"That is really sad." Michonne gestured around the store they were currently scavenging from, "You should find something nice to put away in your pack. Who knows, when we get to Virginia and Noah's community maybe there will be an opportunity to wear nice things again. Might as well be prepared."

"I'll look, but it won't be for anything with heels like that." She tilted her head to the side as she scanned the row of shoe displays, smiling, "We're going to come out of this run with a bunch of shoes, and you know what some of the men are going to say about women and shopping."

Michonne touched the hilt of her sword, and laughed, "That it's none of their business?"


	86. Wrestle

"I need your help with something, and I don't want you to get too excited about it." Eric looked at Tara skeptically. She had a tendency to get overly enthusiastic about the strangest things, and he didn't want Aaron to know about his request.

Tara seemed to be calm though, and she merely waited for him to continue.

"I want to go out with you on the next run for supplies."

"Why are you asking me? Glenn is the one in charge of those runs, and he would be the one who would have to agree." She tilted her head to the side, looking at him curiously.

"I know, but I was hoping that you would be able to talk to him first and help me make my case. It isn't as though I haven't done runs before and now that I can walk again, without assistance, I want to get out of the walls for a bit." He fidgeted slightly and her eyes narrowed.

"And what else?" She frowned, leaning back in the chair so she could look directly at him.

"And maybe I want to prove that I'm not as helpless as some people seem to think. And maybe next month is an anniversary that I want to celebrate by actually having something special to give to Aaron." Eric shrugged, "He'll probably forget about it again, like last year, but we haven't had a lot to celebrate lately so it would be nice to try."

Tara was quiet for several moments, appearing to wrestle with her thoughts before finally nodding, "Alright, but if Glenn says you can come with us you are going to be glued to my side the entire time we're out there. Aaron would kill me if I let anything happen to you, so no chances. Okay?"

"Okay, as long as I can come out there with you guys I'll follow all of the rules." He nodded sharply, "I'll ask him about it tonight."

"I'll do my part before then." She sighed, "The anniversary stuff might work in your favor. He's kind of a romantic at times."

"Good." Eric hesitated slightly, "So, more coffee?"


	87. Blind

He wasn't one to notice such things, normally, or to care that much about them either, but he was getting more and more socialized by the people he was surrounded by and so it felt natural to ask. "Something wrong? You've been quieter than usual."

Aaron looked at Daryl, his right eyebrow quirked, "Really? You're quiet all the time and you're going to complain when I have a morning where I'm not chatty?"

Daryl shrugged, "I guess. Just seemed like something was bothering you." He looked away, his eyes following the flight of a large bird into the trees.

Aaron sighed but was silent for another few minutes, until it started feeling uncomfortable. "Alright. Something happened, last night." He took a deep breath and glanced at Daryl, who was still looking carefully away from him. "Eric wants to come back out on recruiting runs and we had a fight about it last night."

Daryl nodded, "Makes sense."

"What makes sense? That I'm quiet, that we had a fight or that he wants to come back out here?" He didn't want to be angry at his new recruiting partner, but it was getting to be a close thing when Daryl shrugged again.

"All of it." Daryl glanced at Aaron quickly before looking away again. "I'm not trying to be flippant, but it does make sense. You had a fight, which doesn't happen often so it makes sense that you are still thinking about it this morning. It makes sense that he'd want to be back out here too; doesn't he worry about you when you're out here with me? If something happened he wouldn't find out for days or possibly longer. You had a fight because you want to protect him, but he wants to be able to do the same, and since you can't have it both ways it can't be resolved."

Aaron was silent again, thinking. "So, you want to be a relationship counselor? That was some pretty good insight."

Daryl scoffed, "Not funny. I just want the two of you to work this out so I don't end up in the middle of it all."

"I know, I just don't know what to do yet."

"Maybe that's the problem. You can't do it yourself; you can't make the decision of whether or not he'll be out here again all on your own. Because if you do, you'll be disrespecting Eric and what he needs." Daryl hesitated again, "You know, if he did come back out here with you, it isn't as though I would have to quit. You don't have to be limited to only two recruiters, and we all have different ways of viewing people. Didn't he have insights that you needed before you found my group? We could have another vehicle for bringing people back too, if we found more than a few."

Aaron nodded slowly, "Alright, maybe I've been blind to some of the possibilities. I just-" He took a deep breath before continuing. "I just don't want him to get hurt again."

"I'd bet that he knows that already. Maybe you should think about those possibilities and see what he has to say when we get back later." Daryl hefted his bow, "I want to check out that trail we marked last week, maybe go on foot for a bit. I'll call if I find anything." He swung a leg over the motorcycle, and started the engine before Aaron had a chance to reply.


	88. Guide

"Does it seem strange that all of these new conveniences just seem wasteful? They aren't even really new, just ones that we got used to doing without for a few years." Carol shrugged, "Part of me wants to avoid using the dishwasher because I keep thinking that eventually we won't have one again."

"Pessimist." Eric handed her a platter. "I know that your group always likes to be ready and has had some hard times, but it doesn't always have to end up with a fight against another group of people. Eventually, don't we humans have to figure out a way to have a life without attacking other people for what they have?"

Carol grinned, "Optimist. You were out there, so you should know that there are a lot of people trying to grab whatever they can and they don't really care if someone else had it first. Eventually they might kill each other off, but in the meantime it is the innocents, or the people who are too nice, who will get killed first. This place is a sitting target."

He nodded, "We know, and we were trying to get people to realize that they have had it easy, but you know how much most of them listen to Aaron or me? Might as well be bugs buzzing on the wind. Maybe Rick and Michonne will change that. What happened at the meeting really shocked people, and that isn't such a bad thing if it makes them wake up to reality."

"True." She took a casserole dish from him and placed it on the counter after drying it quickly, "We'll need them to help keep this place safe, and I imagine that they will resist at first." She shook her head and looked at him for a few seconds as he finished with the next large-sized dish. "We didn't really intend to come in here and take over; though Rick may have had some kind of plan to take over if it became necessary. I hope you don't think that it was a bad thing to bring us all here."

Eric handed her the dish and took a deep breath, thinking, "I don't think that we foresaw any of this, but we knew that your group was strong and that you were survivors. The fact that you were supporting each other instead of victimizing one another just made us think that once you became part of Alexandria you would take care of the community in the same way. That requires you to take responsibility, or take over as some would claim, to a certain degree so that you can guide those who need help."

"So it was expected?" She shook her head, "Maybe you saw more in us than we saw in ourselves."

"I wouldn't doubt that; we had the time to watch you and you were just struggling to get by day to day. Not a lot of time for reflection when you can't even find water."


	89. Lick

She licked her lips, eyes widened, "What do you want for it?" Tara made a grabby fingers at the parcel, "I want."

"I know you do, and I want . . . hmm, I'm not sure yet. Let me think." Maggie frowned, pretending to think for a few moments. "Oh yeah, I want you to take over for the next run so Glenn can stay home."

Tara sat back, biting her lip as she considered this. "I might be able to do that, if no one minds and we get another person to take his place." She held up a hand, "Someone who can follow orders or has experience, so someone from our group."

Maggie nodded, "Done. Eugene said he'd come with on the run, if you needed him. He might not have as much experience as some, but you know he's getting better and there was something he wanted to look for too."

"So where did you get that?" Tara was understandably curious as Maggie hadn't gone on any runs since they had arrived in Alexandria, and she hadn't seen Glenn pick up that particular item.

"Traded with one of the old-time residents. They have a whole collection of what they called fannish items and this shirt was just one of them. She told me there was a local store a few years ago that catered to the geek crowd." Maggie shrugged, "Glenn wanted a shirt like this, but it's a girl's shirt, so he thought that maybe you'd want it."

"I totally do! What Dr. Who fan wouldn't want a shirt with the TARDIS?" She squished the material a little as Maggie handed it to her, "I'd kiss you, but I'm pretty sure Glenn would be upset."

Maggie laughed, "Only that he didn't get to watch."


	90. Startle

He hadn't heard anything in the house, but he hadn't expected to either with his headphones on and listening to the music from his mp3 player. It was a slow day, and he had been trying to get a few chores around the house done before Aaron returned from the latest run. They were never exact on their return times, but generally got back to Alexandria in the late afternoon to early evening, starting from where they had been scouting in the morning.

So he had thought that there would be a couple of hours for him to finish those tasks, and he was applying himself to the dishes when a shadow crossed the counter and hands grasped his hips. Eric jerked forward, away from the hands and into the counter, and dropped the dish in his hands into the soapy water. One of the earbuds fell out, and he heard Aaron laughing behind him, "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

Eric frowned, removing the other earbud with wet fingers, "I have doubts about that. Any luck on this trip?" Aaron wasn't moving away from him, so he was still pressed against the counter, the dish water that had spilled over the sink edges soaking into his shirt.

"Depends on what you mean by luck. We didn't find any people, but we did find an old country doctor's office with some supplies left intact. Daryl brought them over to the clinic." He leaned into Eric, breathing deeply at the back of his neck, until he could feel the shiver it caused. "Or maybe it was luck that allowed us to get back early."

Eric swallowed hard, freezing in place as Aaron's breath ghosted against the back of his neck, "Lucky for me if you keep doing that."


	91. Curve

She was running so fast she slid around the curve that bent the hall along the rounded building. It was a wall of windows and she kept running until she found a clear spot that let her see through the dirty glass. The courtyard appeared empty, though she had learned long before that appearances could be deceiving and walkers could be attracted to noise or movement if they were out there. Carol knew that there were walkers behind her though, and she wasn't sure where the others were.

They had come into this small town for a simple run, looking at the convention center and a few small offices that seemed intact. Glenn and Daryl had split off to look through different offices while Carol and Michonne had taken the convention center, separating when inside to cover the entire building. It was a stupid mistake that got her into trouble, opening a closet without rapping on it to listen for walkers first. Three of them had been inside. She didn't know if they had locked themselves inside and then died, or if something had tricked them into the small room and shut the door, but she had been the one to let them out again.

Carol took a deep breath, listening for the groaning that would tell her if she were still being pursued, but there was only silence. She gripped her knife, turning to go back. Only three walkers might be something she could handle, if she were clever about it. She had to follow the curving hall back toward the convention floor, and nothing was in sight until she got to the larger room. The three walkers were bumping through the few standing chairs, making the metal legs squeal against the polished flooring, but they were separated from each other by several feet.

There was a movement across the room and Carol looked up to see Michonne waving at her and then pointing at the walkers. Carol nodded sharply, and both women entered the room, focused on the walker that was closet to them. It was short work, well-practiced.

"I didn't find anything useful. You?" Michonne cleaned her sword off on one of the walker's shirts.

"Nothing but these guys." Carol shrugged, "I think there might be vending machines down near the elevator though, want to check it out with me?"

"Absolutely, there could be candy bars." Michonne grinned, "A girl does have needs after all."


	92. Bed

When he woke in the morning it was late enough that sunshine was streaming through the window blinds. Eric was already up, and probably downstairs enjoying the coffee machine's labor. Aaron rolled over and hugged his pillow to himself briefly, wondering if he could get away with a few more minutes of lazing in bed. He didn't get to sleep-in very often, and it almost felt like Saturday mornings used to feel.

The house was quiet though, and he wasn't sure what he would be spending the day doing since there wasn't a trip to plan for yet. He could wait a day or two at any rate, and Daryl was going on a run with others so planning was better put off. It would be nice to have a day of simple household chores, talking to the new people and checking on their progress, and maybe doing a little reading. A day with Eric, like they had when they were both going out recruiting.

He had been outside of the walls so often recently, looking for people to recruit and looking for the dangers that the Wolves might pose, that he was starting to feel disconnected from Alexandria. He didn't have a chance to get to know the people they were pulling into the community anymore. Eric had mentioned people by name, telling stories about what had been happening and the changes that Rick's group were still implementing, and Aaron had realized that he didn't know a lot of those people. He had never had the chance to know Rick's group, save for Daryl, except through their interactions with Eric. There had to be a time to change that, and today seemed like a good start.

He got out of bed slowly and stretched lazily before heading to the bathroom to get ready for the day. As much as he would love to stay warm and secure there were too many things to get done and it wouldn't be long before he was sent outside the walls again.


	93. Heavily

He sighed heavily and turned away, not wanting to see what was going on in the garage. Aaron and Daryl were going through their maps, checking off locations that they had already tried and failed to find people in, and planning a route to get to one of the more remote areas. It wasn't far away, there just weren't many good roads to get to that spot. That was why they hadn't tried it yet.

Not finding people wasn't something that discounted any specific location, and they often went to the same places over and over because people had a tendency to move around a lot and the ones they encountered were often traveling from one spot to another or wandering in search of a better chance. They could easily miss people coming through the region just by being in the wrong location at that particular time or day. It was one of the reasons that they were outside the walls so often, and that was one of the reasons Eric wasn't very happy at the moment.

Aaron had only just gotten back from a run the day before and they were already planning to go out the next day. It didn't give them very much time together, and it made him a little insecure that Aaron was so adamant about him remaining behind. Those gossipy neighbors, who liked to speak in their backyard when he was sure to overhear them, had all kinds of guesses for why Eric was being left behind and none of them were kind.

He sighed again, softly this time, but Carol noticed it and touched his elbow. "Want to go inside? We can chat while they finish their planning."

Eric nodded, his eyes not leaving Aaron as he replied, "Sure, I can make some coffee."

She waited until they were in the kitchen before speaking again, "Are you alright? You seemed a little less than enthusiastic about the next recruiting trip."

He nodded, setting up the coffee maker with fresh grounds and fussing with the buttons for a moment. "I just wish they would stay here a little longer. It was different when I was going out on the recruiting runs with Aaron; then it didn't matter how long we were outside Alexandria because we were together. Now? Sometimes I feel like I hardly ever see him anymore."

"And he's still being stubborn about you going on runs again?" Carol got mugs from the cupboard, having visited often enough to know exactly where everything was kept.

"Very." Eric shrugged, "I know there are times when I let things get to me too much, and I shouldn't listen to the stupid things that people say behind our backs, but sometimes I wonder if they're right."

Carol frowned, not liking this line of thought. She knew what the neighbors were like, having heard some of their speculation herself. "Right about what?"

He took a deep breath, waiting for a moment as the coffee machine finished brewing the small pot of coffee. "Like, maybe he doesn't want me to come with them on the runs because he doesn't want to spend that much time with me anymore. Like, maybe he's bored with me and wants someone else instead. Like, maybe he does think that I am just a burden out there."

"Oh. Eric, sweetie, none of that is true. I can see it every time he looks at you. He's just scared that something will happen and that he could lose you out there. He and Daryl had such a close call with that trap, and if Morgan hadn't happened by at the right time he could have been killed. He just doesn't want that to happen to you." Carol reached out and touched his back, leaving her hand between his shoulder blades for a moment as he listened. "He might be bad at expressing that to you, but even I can see that it isn't a lack of love that makes him argue for you to stay behind these walls."

He nodded sharply, "I should know that, but sometimes when I'm all alone here for the third night in a row I start wondering. We used to spend so much time together and talked all the time, and now I have nothing interesting to say. What am I supposed to tell him about how I spent my time here? I weeded the garden, or washed laundry again? It is boring, everything feels so narrow here, so lifeless."

She smiled wryly, "I know exactly what you mean. I was a housewife before all of this happened and it seemed like my days were endless chore and boredom. I bet I can think of something that could change that for you. If you'll give me a day or two, and trust my judgement a little."

"I trust you. Just don't tell Aaron what I said, okay? If he has to know about how I feel I would rather he heard it from me." Eric handed her a cup of the coffee, and poured a second for himself. "Should we bring them something, or wait for them to notice the smell of it and come looking?"

"Let's wait and let them find us. They should take a break, but Daryl can growl when the interruption isn't his own idea."


	94. Tenderly

"Is it dead yet?" Carol didn't look up from her task; she was sorting through the cans of food and selecting the ones that were not damaged or showing signs of bacterial growth. She had to trust that her run partner would take care of things while she sorted.

"Not yet, but it's getting there." Michonne shrugged and stepped away from the window. The town was empty, but someone had set up a few booby traps for the walkers. They had stepped around one that was trapped on their way into the store, and it was about to decapitate itself as it struggled to move forward. It wouldn't actually kill it, unless Carol or Michonne went out to stab it after the decapitation, but it would seriously incapacitate it. "Almost done?"

"Yep. Should we tell Rick that we found his favorite?" Carol held up a can of beets, a vegetable she knew Rick hated from the many comments he had made in the past.

Michonne laughed and held out a hand, "Let me, he wouldn't dare throw it at me." She slipped the can into her backpack and readied her sword. "Let's hit one more store. The next building has a toy store and I want to look for something for Judith."

They both smiled, tenderly, and Carol nodded quickly. "Sure." Almost anyone in the group would go out of their way to find things to make Judith more comfortable, or happy. "We should see if they have anything like games for the older kids too. Something to keep them occupied."


	95. Voluntarily

"Why are you out of bed?" Aaron paused in the doorway of the kitchen, gripping the doorframe with one hand while the other ran through his hair. It was extremely early in the morning, and it was still dark outside.

Eric was sitting in the breakfast nook, a cup of coffee next to his right hand and the maps for their recruiting run spread across the little table. He shrugged, not looking up from his study of those maps. "Couldn't sleep."

"Nervous about our first run?" Aaron stepped into the kitchen then, making a beeline for the coffee pot and getting himself a cup. They had run out of the liquid creamer because most of it had spoiled in the abandoned, and unpowered, stores so he took some of the powdered kind instead, grimacing slightly as it attempted to dissolve in his mug. "I am too, but that's why it will be just a test run."

Eric shrugged again, shifting some of the maps so there was space on the table for Aaron's coffee. "I keep telling myself that, but we'll still be out there on our own. You have more experience in going to unfamiliar places, and meeting strangers for the first time. I don't want to do something wrong that could put us into danger."

Aaron reached across the table, taking Eric's hand, "You won't. I trust you. I trust in you. I wouldn't be going out there if I didn't. Whatever dangers we face, and there will be many I'm sure, it won't be caused by us, if we stay calm and stay observant. I've seen you in action, remember? I know you can do this."

"I hope so." He nodded though, accepting what Aaron said. It was always this way; when they worked together in Washington. Eric tended to stay in the offices more often, but he did some field work occasionally and he would always be nervous about it, but it always turned out well. Aaron used to tell him that he just needed a little more confidence, but Eric often thought that it was the nervousness that helped him be prepared for anything.

"If you're still unsure we can put the first trip off a few days, or a week. We're doing this voluntarily, so it's our choice." Aaron glanced at Eric's still full coffee, which must have grown cold by now, and took a sip of his own. "Why don't I make breakfast, and we can talk about the best route to start with?"


	96. Vaguely

"Where are you going? It's the middle of the night." Eric's hand hovered over the light switch, not sure if he wanted the brightness yet.

"Nowhere, why?" Aaron was a horrible liar.

Eric frowned, "Nowhere, really? Then why are you fully dressed and in the hall at this time of night?"

Aaron hesitated, trying to think of an answer. "Why are you up in the middle of the night?"

"Because you woke me up when you were getting dressed. Your stealth needs work." He sighed and flicked the lights on, "If it were something simple like going for a walk, you'd have told me already, so what's the story?"

"I was just going outside to find something quick. It's too cold outside to go out without dressing first." Aaron hesitated again, knowing that it sounded like a strange excuse, but he didn't want to tell Eric the real reason he was up and leaving the house. He waved toward the front door, vaguely, and tried to think of something else to say, "I won't be long, I promise."

Eric was still frowning at him, "I know I should trust you, but I still think that you're hiding something from me." He scratched the back of his neck for a moment, thinking, "I'm going back to bed." He shrugged and turned the lights back off, leaving both of them to blink in the sudden darkness.

"I'll be back soon, really." He tried to look reassuring when Eric gave him another skeptical look, but then he was left alone in the hall. Aaron took a moment to be sure that Eric wasn't going to come back out of their bedroom before moving toward the front of the house. He did have an errand to run, and for some reason the person he was meeting had insisted on it being in the middle of the night. Since he trusted them, mostly, he had agreed to the conditions. He had just hoped that Eric wouldn't know that he was leaving the house, even in the relative safety of Alexandria it was worrisome to be out after dark.

The reason for the meeting was supposed to be a surprise, though he supposed that it wasn't really ruined yet since Eric didn't know why he was leaving the house. Their anniversary had been the week before, and they had been out on the road for a recruiting run. Eric had remembered, but Aaron had been caught up in all that was going on for the run and the community and he had totally forgotten. So he had made a deal with someone in Alexandria that was doing supply runs and they were making a trade. He hoped that it would make up for his forgetfulness, at least in part.


	97. Soon

"I feel like a superhero." Tara hefted her gun and grinned, "Even if we use these as club more often than we shoot them."

Eugene gave her a long appraising look. "I dare say that you would make an excellent superhero. Perhaps one of Wonder Woman's Amazonian sisters."

She smirked, "It's the liking girls thing, right?"

"Maybe." He shrugged, "It's a bonus at any rate."

Tara laughed, "I doubt it is a super power though." She shifted the gun in her hands to a more comfortable resting position. "So, would you be a superhero, if you could?"

Eugene seemed to think it over for a few moments before nodding, "I would. If it requires a tragic backstory, I think we've all got that now, as well as proficiency with weapons. I would be the more intellectual hero though; the one who invents the new weapon or device for the main character in the comic." He shrugged and gave her a slow smile. "We'll find out soon, won't we?"

She glanced toward Abraham and Rosita, "Yeah, when we get to D.C. right? Aren't you nervous that maybe all of these plans that were supposed to be in place fell through? What if we get there and no one else is alive, or the place was destroyed by the National Guard as they attacked walkers in the city?"

"I guess we'll have to take it as it comes then, and do whatever we can." He had a strange, thoughtful, look on his face now. "If we get there and it's all gone, we'll find another way."


	98. Regular

"Every day is exactly the same." Carl kicked the dirt at his feet, frowning, "I always thought that life would be more interesting when I got to be a teenager. You know, that I'd get to do the regular teenager stuff like learn to drive and go to high school."

Tara shrugged, "I thought that I'd be a cop by now. Solve crime, save the innocent, and stuff like that."

Carl grinned, "Well, you do help the innocent sometimes, if anyone is innocent anymore. And you do fight the bad guys, if that is what we would say to describe the walkers."

"Sure, they are trying to kill and eat people. Pretty bad guy behavior, though they don't really have a lot of intent since they seem more instinct-driven." She returned his smile, "You could still end up going to high school, though I know what you mean about missing out on the experience. Nothing will ever be as it was before so even school as it exists here in Alexandria is different."

"Yeah, we'll have knife lessons and target practice instead of AP Chemistry. Maybe it will be more like basic training than the old way; physical training, shop classes to learn about engines and building stuff, agriculture classes, and that sort of hands-on stuff that Dad is always talking about."

"Makes sense," Tara leaned back against the porch railing and looked down to where he was standing in the yard, "Doesn't sound too bad though. Better than the cliques and the gossip that I had to deal with in high school. You could even start a club for an after school activity, if you had any interests you wanted to explore further."

He nodded, listening and seeming to like her idea. "Yeah, that could be fun."

"And just think, you'll never have to worry about the SATs, or college applications, or student loans." Tara grinned again, wishing he were close so she could ruffle his hair or poke his shoulder. "You should feel lucky, you'll get survival skills for the now instead of the old social order."

"That's very true, and he should be starting that now." Rick spoke up from behind them, standing in the doorway to the house. "You should both come inside for dinner. Carol says it's all ready."


	99. Watch

The group was stopped in the middle of the road, staring until Rick finally stepped forward, "We need to keep moving."

Hershel nodded, "Before dark." He glanced at what had enthralled the others again, "We can't do anything here and it isn't safe."

The small town they had found could have been a sanctuary for a few nights or a few weeks, but instead it was just a blackened hole in the ground. All of the small stores that had made up Main Street were burned to the ground, leaving exposed basements and shards of glass from the windows littering the sidewalks. Something had happened, but they wouldn't be able to say if it was arson, an accident or a strike by nature, all they could tell was that this town was truly dead.

Daryl shifted his bow across his back and straddled his brother's motorcycle again. "I'll scout ahead if you want to check some of the houses for supplies." He gestured toward the half-burnt remains of building that were along the next block.

"Yeah, don't go too far though, we need to set up a camp soon." Rick glanced at Lori, she was leaning heavily against the side of the car and rubbing her stomach. She didn't see his look though so he continued, "Glenn, Hershel and Maggie, up for some recon with me? The rest can stay here and guard."

Carl looked as though he might protest but Rick just held up a hand, "Help your mother. We won't be long." He gave his son a look until the boy nodded his acceptance of the order.

Daryl nodded also, acknowledging the plans before starting the bike and taking off down the road, slowly navigating around parts of the burnt building fronts that had fallen into the street.

Carol and the others surrounded Lori, "We'll be okay, just be careful. Those houses might have damage you can't see."

"We'll be careful, and quick." Hershel patted her shoulder before moving toward Rick and the others, "Watch Beth for me, alright?"

Carol nodded, "Of course."


	100. Settle

There was a hint of fog covering the wetlands to either side of the road, and the sun was hitting the tops of the trees. It was a very peaceful scene, beautiful really, and Daryl leaned back against one of the trees to take it all in. He had spent a lot of time in the woods throughout his life but he didn't usually have a chance to just enjoy the moment. He wouldn't have much longer to enjoy this one either, but he was going to take what he could get.

The others would be waking soon and then the wildlife in the area would scatter, and they would have to be on alert for walkers. This small area had been given a natural barrier of the swamp waters and the thick woods, so they had seen very few of the walkers as they traveled the road North. It had been a nice break, but Daryl knew that it was coming to an end soon since the woods were showing more evidence of past timber removal. There were more houses along the road too, with long driveways for privacy and a good distance between neighbors, but definitely a sign that they were coming closer to a town and cleared land.

He jumped slightly as a hand touched his arm, and he barely restrained himself from jerking away. Carol still smirked at him though.

"Sorry, I should have made more noise, but I guess I'm getting used to being quiet all the time." Her head tilted to one side as she studied him for a moment, and then she held out a mug, "I thought you might like some coffee. We're almost out, but we might as well enjoy it while we can."

He hadn't even noticed that she was up, or that she had been boiling water. He took the mug though, nodded, "Thanks."

"It's pretty here. Would have been a nice place to live, you know, before everything happened. A nice view of the woods, maybe have bird feeders and see deer every day." She glanced around the clearing, smiling softly, "I can imagine mornings out on the patio with a cup of coffee and the newspaper. Of course that would never have happened with the way things were before."

Ed. He knew what she meant. He would never have had that because of Merle. As much as he loved his brother, he could see that there were things that had held him in a rut for far too long, and the biggest obstacle would have been his brother. No matter what Daryl might have tried to grasp in his life, Merle would always have been there to taint it in some way.

"Lots of pretty places to see still." He shrugged, "Maybe we'll be lucky and find one to settle in one day."


	101. Tediously

They had been walking for hours, silently. Tara had run through all sorts of things in her head to keep her mind occupied, but she was out of ideas now, and bored. Eugene was ahead of her slightly, and every once in a while he would sigh deeply and then look at Rosita, or her. She had been tempted to start a conversation with him earlier, something about one of their many common interests, but as soon as she opened her mouth she had gotten a stern look from Rick and she had closed it again quickly.

She knew that they needed to be alert and that conversation could distract them, as well as being a noise which might attract the attention of walkers or other people, but walking silently was starting to drive her crazy. When she used to walk or run for exercise she at least got to listen to her music at the same time.

She stared at the road, counting her footsteps tediously, an ever growing number that she suddenly feared wouldn't ever stop growing. Tara stopped suddenly, looking up as the group continued to move forward around her. No one else seemed to notice that she was standing in the middle of the road now, probably thinking that she needed a moment of privacy in the ditch or that she had to retie a shoe. She just watched them continue on without her for several moments before Eugene finally turned and gave her a quizzical look.

Tara shook her head and started walking again. There wasn't much point in dragging behind, and they wouldn't be able to stop for a few more hours unless something bad happened to delay them. She caught up to Eugene quickly and he gave her a nod as she fell back into step with him.


	102. Lightly

It was a quiet night. Since the world had fallen apart there were plenty of those; there were no clubs to go to, no movie theaters or concerts, no television to watch after the day's work even, so it was quiet. Alexandria did have power, so they could have watched television or movies that were on dvd if they wanted, and they could listen to cds or records when they chose to do so, but many nights were spent with other people instead of filling the time with wasted pursuits.

With all of the free time that he had acquired, Eric had begun reading all of the books that he had never gotten around to reading before. The person who had set up the houses for display had included libraries of classic novels set into the built-ins, probably to make the houses feel classy. Those had been supplemented by popular fiction he had found on early recruiting runs. There was one trip that had them almost clearing the stock from a small campus bookstore. Aaron did a lot of reading as well, but he didn't have the same time that Eric did for it.

When Aaron was home from a recruiting run he didn't want to waste their time together by reading. They didn't always have the most interesting conversations, though they did talk a lot and still had the most open communication that Eric had ever had in his life. Date nights were certainly different after the world fell apart, but they did manage to find ways to enjoy time spent together. Dancing was one of the things that they still did, even if it was usually in their living room, and their musical choices were limited to what they had been able to collect while out on runs.

There was something vaguely cheesy about listening to love songs from rock bands of the 1980's, while Aaron's head rested against his shoulder and they swayed together in front of the couch. He felt as though he had fallen into an alternative version of a John Hughes movie and he wasn't sure which one of them was supposed to be Molly Ringwald. He had the right hair color, but Aaron was following his lead as they danced. That thought put an interesting image into his head, and he had to smile.

"You're thinking about something interesting, I can tell." Aaron leaned back slightly to look at him. "You're breathing always changes when you get an idea you want to share."

Eric ran his hand up Aaron's back, lightly, "Nothing important. Just this music making me think of old movies." He frowned for a moment, "I guess all movies are old movies now. It's so strange to think that there are no new books being published, or movies being produced, no new television shows or albums of music being recorded. At least not for the masses like they used to be made."

"Maybe one day there will be all of that again." Aaron leaned in again, tightening their embrace as he kissed the corner of Eric's lips. "I was just thinking that the lyrics to this song, as old as it might be, are still valid. 'Nothing's gonna change my love for you.' I agree."

"That's sweet, and I agree also, but using lyrics is still a cheat on anniversary cards." He laughed when Aaron pouted.

"You're never going to let me forget that, are you? I was desperate and couldn't think of a better phrase. It was still from the heart."

"I know," he leaned in for another kiss, "I'll let it go, one day." Eric grinned and Aaron shook his head, "I will, I just think it's funny now. It's okay though, I wouldn't mind if you wanted to practice writing love letters when you're out on runs."

Aaron laughed too, "I'm sure. It might not be such a bad idea though." He leaned his head against Eric's shoulder as the next song started, "Maybe I'll find better things to write."


	103. Hastily

"Are you taking notes already?" Daryl frowned, looking at the notebook that Aaron was bent over, scribbling on furiously.

The other man looked up sharply, hastily covering the page of writing with one hand, "No, why?"

If he was the type of person to roll his eyes, Daryl would be getting a good view of the tree tops. "Well, you don't usually write unless you're taking notes for the report. So what are you writing?"

Aaron hesitated for a few long moments and Daryl almost regretted asking. He looked as though he were a deer in the headlights and had no way to get away. "Um, nothing important."

"Really? Then why can't you tell me what it is?" It had been a long time since he felt as though he could tease anyone outside of their group without them taking it the wrong way, reading too much into it, or being so surprised that they didn't even respond.

Aaron's eyes narrowed as he caught the tone in Daryl's voice though, knowing the question for what it was. He shook his head slightly, smiling. "Alright, I'm writing a letter, or trying to anyway. Maybe I should get your advice on it." He took his hand from the page and read through a few lines, silently. "Eric suggested that I could write love letters to him, but I'll admit that it's been a while since I wrote a letter to anyone. Want to read what I have and make suggestions?"

Daryl laughed, "Yeah, because I have so much experience writing love letters."

"You could, I wasn't about to make any assumptions about your love life." Aaron shrugged and set the notebook aside. "You could write one yourself if you wanted, I have plenty of paper. I'll start it off, 'Dearest Michonne, Words cannot express how I long to be in your strong embrace . . .'" He stopped abruptly as Daryl threw a stick at him, and he laughed. "Dearest Rick? I wouldn't suggest that, he doesn't seem to be as stable as you would need."

Daryl shook his head, trying to stop from grinning. "You have too much imagination and entirely the wrong kind."

"Ooo, good, maybe I can use that for my own letter writing then, Eric appreciates my imagination." Aaron picked up the notebook again, going over his last sentence and crossing it out.

Daryl resettled himself across the firepit, "Yeah, I bet he does, but please don't give me the details."


	104. Sharply

Carol was waiting for him when he got home after the run. She was usually waiting inside, ready to take his bow and make him sit down for something to eat, but this time she was waiting out on the porch and looking pensive. "I wanted to talk to you, without the others hearing."

Daryl nodded, setting his stuff on the steps, "Go ahead."

"It isn't anything bad, but I thought that you might want to pass it on." She ran a hand through her hair and frowned, "I don't know if I'm approaching this right. It probably sounds worrisome and it isn't. I just thought that you might tell Aaron that Rick has decided that he should know him better, and so he's been trying to talk to Eric more often."

"That doesn't sound bad, why shouldn't the others hear?" Daryl leaned against the porch railing, unsure of why Carol wanted to tell him about this.

"I like Eric and he mentioned this to me because Rick was starting to make him feel uncomfortable." She shrugged, "I can't really talk to Rick about a lot of things; our water under the bridge is easily stirred up still. I was hoping that if Aaron knew that Rick wanted to get to know them better they could visit in a way that felt more natural."

"So you want me to tell Aaron that they should stop by more often so that rick can get to know them better?"

Carol laughed, "I know it sounds strange. God knows I feel like I'm in middle school passing notes again, and I could have gone to Aaron with this myself. Eric doesn't want him to worry though. You know how that can be, right? Rick wants to know the people around himself and he doesn't trust easily anymore, if he ever did. I want him to trust Aaron and Eric because I think most of us see them as part of our group now. They saved us out there, and they've helped us in here."

Daryl was nodding, "I know, and I agree. They're ours. Rick should know that already."

She nodded sharply in return, "He should, but he acts as though he doesn't know anyone who hasn't been on the road with us. Except Morgan, of course."

"I'll ask Aaron to visit more. That's something I wouldn't mind happening anyway. If something happened I'd rather they were nearby." He frowned, thinking, "I'm gonna talk to Rick too. He wants us to accept his feelings without question, to trust in him, and I think we deserve the same. He should trust me about Aaron, and he should trust you about Eric since we're spending more time with them than anyone else."

She stepped back slightly, "Thank you. I wish I could do more to resolve this, but I feel that I'm still on the list of people he isn't sure of sometimes. It's easier to say that we've overcome the past than to feel as though it's done." Carol leaned down, grabbing the strap of his bow, and opening the front door. "Now, I made some dinner for you if you're hungry and Carl wanted to ask you a question if you have time. I think it's something about birds or the local wildlife." She shrugged, "He's working on some kind of project."

Daryl snorted, "And they don't have a hundred books on the subject?" He didn't sound as harsh as he might have if there was no interest, liking that some saw him as an expert on legitimate subjects. "I can talk to him while I eat." He followed her, taking his vest off and letting it hang on the doorknob to the closet as they passed into the house.


	105. Lazy

He didn't see Glenn until he was already sitting on the other side of the sofa, and then it seemed rude to move so he stayed. Daryl put his feet up on the coffee table and glanced at his friend for a moment. His friend; they hadn't actually spent much time together recently, and there had been a time that that had lived in the same group but hadn't exchanged words more than once or twice during an entire week. Things changed, so did the people.

During their time at the prison he had done several runs with Glenn. Though they traveled separately, like he did with Aaron, they had to rely on one another when they passed those gates. Thinking about it now made him miss those days.

Glenn seemed to be thinking something similar. "You know, I think this is the first time we've been alone together in months. That's sort of strange, considering the runs we used to do." The younger man shrugged, but didn't look up from his book.

"Yeah, you read my mind." Daryl leaned back, looking up at the sofa, "So, they finally give you some free time?"

Glenn glanced at him for a moment, smirking, "There isn't as much to do here. I feel lazy unless I'm out on a run, and you know what Rick said about those for the next few days. Maggie is busy working with Deanna, so I've got time to read. Don't they have you doing anything when you aren't out recruiting?"

Daryl shook his head and then frowned as Glenn suddenly laughed, "What?"

"Did you ever think that you'd be picked to recruit people for a community? I remember back at the quarry, I was scared to look at you the wrong way. I tried not to look at your brother at all."

"No one wanted to look at Merle, but that hadn't changed since he was born." His relationship with Merle was still sometimes a sore spot, but he was trying to get past it, so deflecting worked well. "You aren't the same as you were back then. None of us are. Look at Carol; I used to think that a strong breeze could make her crumple and she's like iron now."

Glenn looked thoughtful, "Yeah, we all change. Not always for the best though. I miss Hershell."

Daryl nodded, picked at the fabric of his jeans, "She'll get past it. She just needs more time, for Beth too."

Glenn looked puzzled, but he couldn't pretend that he didn't know what Daryl meant. "Yeah, I just wish – well, you know."

"Yeah, I know."


	106. Angle

He wasn't sure what woke him at first, but from the darkness of the room he could guess that it was still the middle of the night. Aaron was still sleeping, soundly, so it probably hadn't been a noise inside their house that woke him, but it could have been a dozen other things, like worry or a nightmare that he had already forgotten. His pulse was slow and steady though, so he ruled out nightmare. A sharp pain in his neck finally told him what the problem was. He had slid down the bed and his head had fallen from his pillow, leaving his neck at a bad angle for sleeping.

Eric took a deep breath and pressed his cheek against Aaron's back. It was a good back; strong and solid. The slight chill in the weather had led to Aaron wearing one of the worn-out undershirts that was soft from many washings. It felt good against his skin, warm and soft and it smelled good, like Aaron, so Eric took another deep breath before slowly uncurling his hand from the fabric over Aaron's ribs, and moving to sit up. He had barely moved away from his boyfriend when Aaron's whole body jerked and Eric could hear his sharp intake of air as he gasped. He jolted upright, reaching toward Eric's side of the bed, and only abandoning the movement when he saw that Eric was watching him with concern.

"Still here, are you okay?"

Aaron nodded slowly, frowning, "Nightmare, but it'll pass." He shook his head, glancing around the room for a moment, "Why are you up?"

"Sore neck. I was going to get a glass of water before getting comfortable again. Want one?" Eric had moved to the side of the bed, ready to get up, but he stopped for Aaron's answer.

"Sure, but I think I'll come downstairs with you, I want to get that dream out of my head."


	107. Clear

He flinched almost every time he heard the thwack of Eric's blade strike bone. He was getting better though, and he wasn't looking as often. Aaron just worried a lot. It really wasn't about not believing in Eric, or his abilities, he just had met far too many people who had lost everyone they loved and he didn't want to become one of them. He wished that he could explain that to Eric in a way that didn't involve an argument about his over-protective instincts.

The Safe-Zone was about to start recruiting other people, and they had already volunteered to be the ambassadors for the community. It could be difficult to decide who was safe to approach, and who they needed to steer clear of; some people would make the choice obvious but others would be hiding everything they were as they traveled as a way to protect themselves. Reading those people would take time. As they prepared it became obvious that the area around Alexandria needed to be cleared on a regular basis though. Being so close to so many cities, and large populations meant that the roads were often filled with herds of the dead.

Eric had volunteered to help clear the main road before Aaron knew anything about it. He had good reasons, but it had been tense at home the night before and Aaron felt as though he had to volunteer as well. These were the roads they would be traveling over and over again, and Eric suggested that they get to know them and what passed for normal as quickly as possible. Helping to clear would let them see the roads, give them practice in putting down the dead, and would let the others know that they would not be helpless when they were out on their own.

He paused as he took the blade of his machete out of the skull of a dead blonde, and he turned to watch as Eric dispatched a man that had been very tall and thin. His boyfriend was skilled, and it showed in the economy of his movement and his focus. Aaron shouldn't worry so much, and he should be paying more attention to what he was doing himself, but it was just so hard to let go of that fear.


	108. Scar

Every time he made a small noise she looked down and brushed his hair from his cheek. The hair was getting a little long. Maggie sighed, she hated cutting hair and the last time she tried giving Glenn a trim the others teased him about it for days. He had been brave and didn't seem to care though. Still, she hoped someone with some skill was available in Alexandria.

He was sleeping better, which was a blessing after the past weeks of nightmares, but she still worried too. He always slept best when they had the chance to spend extra time together like this; she was reading while he napped with his head in her lap. When he started having trouble she touched him and he quieted again. It was worth the slightly uncomfortable position she was in, and she sometimes appreciated how much parents sacrificed for their children to be comfortable in situations like this, but she was also glad not to have to find out what that was like.

They had already lost too much, and had seen far too much for her to want to bring another life into this messed up world. When the condoms ran out she found birth control pills in pharmacies, checking their dates and using the ones she had been taking before her prescription had run out. When they got to Alexandria she had noticed the lack of small children and babies and asked one of the female residents about it. Thankfully they had been able to have medical check-ups before Rick had channeled his dead friend, Shane, and killed the doctor.

She hadn't been sure of taking such a permanent solution until she had spoken to Glenn, but he was in her corner and thought that it was for the best. He didn't want to risk her life with child-birth, and he didn't want to leave her alone to raise a child if something happened on one of his runs. After what happened with Noah he was even more sure that going through with the laparoscopic procedure was the right decision, for both of them. Her recovery was overnight and there was barely any scar.

Maggie glanced down and soothed his brow again. When he told her that he was going to do something similar, just to be doubly sure that they would be safe she knew that she had always been right about him. There was no one else that loved her more, or that would ever be loved more by her. Her daddy would be proud of them for taking responsibility for their lives and doing the best thing for their future.

She glanced at her book again, skimming the pages more than reading them. It was about community building, from the literal construction to the bonds of empathy formed between members. It was a little boring, but she promised Deanna that she would look at it as part of her training and work. If she were lucky Glenn would wake up soon and they would find something far more enjoyable to do together.


	109. Distraction

"You like her." Michonne nudged his side as they walked and he jerked out of reach, rubbing the spot she had just touched.

"Ow, I think I'm going to bruise. And I don't know what you are talking about. I'm in love with Maggie." Glenn frowned at her and continued rubbing the sore spot. "Stop being mean."

"Stop whining, and I didn't mean that you loved her. I said that you like her. Maggie seems to like her too, and I doubt that is love either." Michonne smirked, "Don't get any ideas."

Glenn flushed and his mouth opened and closed a few times before he shook his head, "I don't even want to know where you get your ideas. Crazy woman." He was quiet for a few moments, "Okay, Maggie and I both like Tara. She helped us find each other and that means a lot. Maggie isn't even upset that she was following the Governor for a while; she was fooled like a lot of other people had been. What she has done for us since then is more important because it was by her own choice."

Michonne held up a hand, "I know, don't worry about me. I like her too. She doesn't whine or complain like some and she pitches in to help whenever it's needed. I always appreciate someone who can pull their own weight in our little family. I just wanted to make sure that things were okay with the three of you and that it wasn't going to get awkward."

Glenn rolled his eyes, "You said it yourself, that we like her, so why would there be a problem?"

She shrugged, "Just making sure. You know how people like to talk when there isn't anything else to do."

"You mean like what we're doing right now?" Glenn dodged as she reached to poke at him, "What? It's true. You said yourself that you already knew that we were getting along with Tara and you were only confirming that. Why not ask about something really mysterious? Like Carol's secret family cookie recipe, or how long it's been since Daryl's vest was last washed. Or how about our future plans, if we get to make any?" He frowned, suddenly not liking the way his thoughts turned to the depressing.

It was enough of a distraction that Michonne managed to nudge his side again, eliciting another cringe, "Yeah, I know. Maybe we need to create our own version of the road-trip games kids used to play while traveling. Something to keep everyone occupied while we walk, but something that won't draw attention or be too much of a distraction. Let's think on that for a while."

He nodded and glanced toward Maggie, walking between Sasha and Carol. "Think about it, alright. I think I'll ask Maggie about the games she played when she was a kid, she could use something new to think about too."


	110. Punched

Rosita sighed and fluffed her pillow a little more roughly than necessary, or rather she punched it and hope it would become more comfortable by force. She liked these people, for the most part, but she was starting to get tired of sleeping in a big pile with the whole lot of them. Privacy seemed to be a thing of the past. She laid back on her sleeping bag and tried to sleep again, but it was impossible to get comfortable.

The whole house seemed stuffy from all the people living on top of one another, and she just wanted to open the windows to breathe a little easier. It was too cold outside though, and there would be complaints. There were always complaints about something. Someone left a towel on the bathroom floor, or drank the last of the bottled water in the fridge without replacing it, or left the toilet seat up. Stupid things that she never thought that she'd hear about again when they were out on the road.

To her left she could hear Tara sigh and Rosita turned to look at the other woman. "Can't sleep either?" She whispered, trying to be quiet, but she knew that someone was likely to be annoyed.

Tara gave her a wry smile, "I have to pee but I can't decide if it is worth trying to walk through this room to get to the bathroom. Too many people to step over on the way there."

Rosita smiled back at her, "I know what you mean, and I can't wait until we can spread out to both houses and use the actual bedrooms."

She heard Rick shift slightly. He was paying three people over from Tara and he was probably awake as well. She suspected that most of the group was awake for most of the night and just pretended to sleep so that everyone else would think that everything was fine. Rosita shook her head, she didn't want to say anything directly to Rick when he seemed a bit volatile, but she didn't mind if he overheard her concerns. "I miss privacy. And beds, I really miss beds."

Tara huffed slightly, as though trying to stop herself from laughing, "Me too." She sat up slightly, leaning on her left elbow to look around the room, "I'd better get up and go, or there will be trouble later." She crawled out from under her bedding awkwardly, trying not to touch Michonne who as on her other side. "If I don't come back it's because I've decided to sleep in the bathtub."

"You'd better not, that's my place of last resort and I have dibs." Rosita grinned, and watched as Tara made her way around the sleeping bodies of their people.


	111. Berries

"Oh my god, I think I love you." Rosita accepted the bucket of raspberries from Tara, greedily hugging it to her chest for a moment. "When did you have time to pick these?"

Tara shrugged, "We had a flat tire and it was either helped Glenn fix the flat or pick as many berries on the side of the road. We had stopped right next to this large field and the tree line was thick with berry bushes. We had the buckets in the van, and the other guys helped with the flat." She slouched back on the sofa and sighed, "I think I scratched up my arms on those little plants though and I ache all over."

"You need to start dating so someone can give you a massage after days like this." Rosita smirked, "Or just let Eugene do it."

"No thanks." Tara frowned, "I like Eugene, but not in that way and he knows it. I don't know why he still flirts."

"Maybe because he knows it's safe with you and that you won't suddenly start stalking him?"

"Yeah, he seems pretty safe to me too, so I guess that would be okay if that is the reason." Tara closed her eyes for a moment, "I don't want to get up again, but I should take that other bucket of berries to Carol. She might want them for baking."

Rosita frowned down at her bucket of berries, "You don't expect me to cook with these, do you?"

"No, I just remembered that you said they were your favorite. Fresh fruit is always good, right?" Tara grinned, "Plus, I remember your last attempt at cooking and I wouldn't want to waste the berries on something like that."


	112. Below

"Look, Daryl, Chock Full o'nuts." Glenn held up the canister and grinned.

Daryl shook his head, smirking, "You're fulla nuts. Just put it in the box, Carol can sort through it all later." It had been a really easy run so far, and Glenn's mood had been sunny to begin with that morning. It almost gave Daryl a headache to think about, so he tried not to.

"Sure. There are boxes of energy bars too. That might be useful later. Lots of calories." He added the boxes to their stash and continued opening pallets. They had stumbled upon a grocery store that had its aisles picked clean, but the warehouse behind had been locked and untouched, until they broke in the door. There was so much stuff he had been tempted to have Glenn run back to the prison alone to bring back another vehicle or two with additional helpers. He was still tempted. Row after row of pallets filled with canned foods, dried foods, bottled drinks and below on the first level there were promotional clothing, toiletries, paper products, and several other useful items. They had just been picking through the pallets and taking a few things here and there, but if they could take it all? Well, if their past luck was any indication they could come back tomorrow and find the whole place empty.

"Daryl, you okay?" Glenn had noticed his distraction and was staring at him, concerned.

"Yeah, just thinking about how much is here and how long it will stay if we don't get it now." He shrugged, "Trying to work out a plan."

Glenn nodded, "One of us could go back and get some help. Maybe take everything we can fit into all of the vehicles. If we were organized it wouldn't take that long. There would be plenty of people to stay and protect the prison too."

"That's what I was thinking, but I kinda thought that you should be the one to go back. I'll secure the doors and mark the pallets we want to grab while I wait." He glanced around the darkened warehouse, "Weed out the crap we don't need."

"Maybe we should load the truck so I can take back some of this now, and we can fill it again when I get back. It can be unloaded while I explain the plan and gather volunteers." Glenn bit his lip and adjusted the brim of his hat, as though needing Daryl's approval for his idea. That didn't happen often; Glenn had gained a lot of confidence in himself in the last year and usually seemed secure in his ideas.

"Sounds good. Let's get some of this water and the baby foods in the first load then. It might help convince Rick to go along with our plan." Daryl nodded to himself and grabbed an arrow, propping the outer door so he could scan the area between the building and the truck. "We'd better hurry though. I don't want to be stuck here overnight."


	113. Change

"That's so cute!" Maggie grinned at Daryl and gestured toward his hand. "Did you ever raise caterpillars as a kid?"

He scowled setting the Monarch caterpillar back on its milkweed plant. "Why would I raise caterpillars?"

"For fun, to watch them grow and change, for a science project, I don't know. I never really needed a reason to do that sort of thing." Maggie shrugged, watching the small bug crawl along a leaf until it found the spot it wanted to chew. "Beth and I were always bringing home critters and Daddy was always teaching us how to care for them or where to put them back outside so they'd be safe."

Daryl was silent for a long moment, "You had a good father. Some of us weren't so lucky." He left it at that and Maggie shrugged, not wanting to ask too many more personal questions. "I always liked caterpillars though. I'd never tell Merle because he'd kill anything small and helpless, but I liked finding them outside and waiting for the cocoon to open. I liked how different they could become."

Maggie touched his shoulder briefly, squinting up at him, "You know, you're like a caterpillar in some ways. You're different from when I first met you, different from what you were like before that too according to Glenn. Maybe this whole experience is like a chrysalis for you and one day you'll be the person you were always meant to be."

He snorted, "I am not going to be a butterfly. I ain't pretty."

"I don't know about that. Plus, you've already got wings on that vest." Maggie laughed and danced away when he took a playful swipe at her. "I'd better go check on Glenn before he finds some trouble to get into. Be good now."

Daryl shook his head, looking back to the small caterpillar as it ate its leaf, "You don't know how lucky you've got it, little guy."


	114. Machines

The hood of the car was up when he walked up the driveway and Daryl expected to see Aaron leaning over the engine, fixing or tuning up whatever was in need. He stopped short, just shy of entering the garage when he saw that Aaron was sitting on the steps into the house and it was Eric leaning over the car's engine though.

Eric glanced up at him for a moment before going back to what he was doing. "Sorry Daryl, this will just take another couple of minutes."

Daryl shrugged and quirked an eyebrow at Aaron, who just grinned at him. "Who do you think was keeping the car in repair before? You've seen me with machines and should know that I'm impossible with them."

"Guess I never thought about it too much." Daryl leaned against the wall, "So, Eric, where'd you learn cars?"

"Home, when I was a kid, had to if we wanted anything to work right." He didn't look up from the small repair he was making, though Daryl could hear a trace of the smile in his voice. He seemed to like breaking the assumptions made about him. That as something to which Daryl could definitely relate. "We'll probably need to change the oil before the next trip, but it should be okay for this one." The redhead stood, rubbing his lower back for a moment before moving the tools out of the way and shutting the hood with a thud.

Aaron nodded, serious, "I'll keep an eye out for that brand you mentioned for the oil. We could probably use general car parts and supplies too. Maybe we should give Glenn a list for the runners."

"We should; you need to be sticking to recruiting and they go to more of the kinds of places that would have supplies." Eric leaned against the front of the car for a moment, organizing the tools before sticking them in their places on the closest work bench. "I should get cleaned up, and then is there time to have breakfast before you two need to get out on the road?"

Aaron looked at Daryl for a moment and got a nod in return, "Sure, I'll make something while you clean up. Waffles okay?"

Eric laughed as Daryl visibly perked up. "I think that's a yes."


	115. Glare

She was being stubborn just for the sake of refusing to do what the others were suggesting. Sasha's frown was fierce, even if she was currently getting soaked by the rain shower that had struck the group without notice. Michonne and Maggie tried to convince her to join the rest of them under the limited shelter of trees and their tarps, but she had just given them a pointed look and continued sitting on her boulder. Daryl had watched, shrugged and then stalked off further into the woods to start hunting while the group was stationary. Carol and Carl had set up a small dry space for Judith and were making sure that the little girl was fed and given clean water before they had to move again. Abraham and Rosita were chatting, as far away from Eugene and Abraham could get while being in the same group.

Rick was still trying to reason with Sasha. He was losing because she just didn't care. She stared at him as he spoke, her mouth in a tight straight line, and her eyes hard. "Come on, Sasha, we just don't want you to get sick. It isn't healthy to sit out in the rain like this." She mumbled something and he stepped closer to try to hear what she was saying.

He didn't come out all the way from the shelter though and she rolled her eyes, shifting to face in his direction a little more, "I said that there are a lot of things that we do which are not healthy for us."

He looked down, watching the rain soak into the thick moss at their feet. "True, but Tyreese wouldn't want you to be sick over losing him. I know that you're going through something that feels powerful right now, but you have to think about the future too."

Her eyes narrowed and he shuffled his feet a little. "I don't have to do anything. I could lay down and die right here and that would be my right." She took a deep breath and glared at him, "And you do not get to talk about what my brother would want for me."

Rick wasn't sure what to say to that, but he opened him mouth to try to say something and she cut him off. "Tyreese was alive. He went through something with Carol and those little girls and he survived. Carol helped him survive. I find it interesting that you tried to tell us that she was the dangerous one before the prison fell, but she kept my brother alive. He went with you and died. I don't think Carol is the one to watch out for in this group."

Rick stepped forward, out from under the shelter, an angry retort on his tongue that he swallowed back as soon as he felt a hand on his arm. Michonne was there, and he stepped back under their temporary protection again, shaking his head in response to her inquisitive look. He opened his mouth again, but closed it just as quickly, and then walked away.

"Come out of the rain, Sasha. It'll make the rest of us feel better if you at least try to make an effort to join us." Michonne shrugged, "But I'm not going to beg, you can make your own choices. Just remember that you'll be the one to live with them later."

"Or not." Sasha looked back toward the road and the direction that they had travelled from.

Michonne nodded sharply, "Or not."


	116. Slack

There was blood dried along the floor, from the kitchen to the front door or maybe it was the other way around. Carol frowned, but sighed and stepped over it on the way into the house. Other than the blood there wasn't much wrong with the house. The windows were intact and the door was able to shut and lock properly. There wasn't even any dead bodies or walkers inside, which she found surprising.

It said something that a house that looked suited for a horror movie was the best choice for a place to stay for the next few nights. Rick looked at the floor as he passed, grunted and kept moving. Lori and Carl followed him into the kitchen and Carol sat on the couch to take a few moments before starting to set up for dinner. Daryl came down the stairs from the second floor, already having scouted the entire house he had been double checking the closets and counting supplies that tey might take with when they left.

"Some bedrooms upstairs. Maybe we should set a watch down here and have everyone split up in the rooms. We can use those lamps that T-Dog found if we block the windows." He sat down, heavily, on the couch with her, "You should take the night off and let Lori take her turn with the cooking and stuff."

Carol nodded, "I would, but there is a lot to do and she wasn't feeling well earlier."

Daryl snorted, "Yeah, who is?" His bow leaned against the side of his legs and he looked at her for several minutes. "You could still use a break. I was watching you earlier and you were doing her share on the road. Let Beth or Maggie pick up some of the slack if you don't want to make Lori do it, but you need to get some sleep."

"Fine, but I'll have a chat with the girls first." She glanced around the living room, eyes catching the blood stain again, "I keep hoping that we'll find a place to settle for a while. Some place where we can all get the sleep we need."

"I know. We will, some day." He frowned and she nudged his shoulder.

"That wasn't a complaint or a dig at you. I know we're all trying to find something out there. It isn't your responsibility to take care of us all, and you do anyway. I appreciate everything that you've done for us, Daryl, it's more than we have any right to expect."

He flushed and looked away, "Just doing my share."

"You're doing a lot, and it's one of the reasons we're still alive." Carol stared at him, silently, for several more seconds and he just seemed to get more uncomfortable with her regard so she finally sat up, "I think I'll go find Beth and Maggie and have a chat about the chores we're sharing." She stood carefully and touched his shoulder again as she passed toward the kitchen.


	117. Clearing

Rosita sighed, impatiently, and crossed her arms over her head. She shook her head as she watched both of her friends, new and older, as they tried to out stubborn each other. It was beyond ridiculous. Of all the things to be upset over in a world as crazy and dangerous as the one they were living in, this was just too much.

"What's wrong?" Michonne stepped up beside her, looking at what she had been watching all morning.

"Just two people who are being completely childish. Eugene and Tara are refusing to speak to each other this morning." Rosita shook her head again and gave Michonne a wry smile. "It's like dealing with children."

Michonne glanced back at the two people in question, "What happened this time?"

"They were arguing about who the better Captain was for Star Trek." Rosita sighed, "I can't even imagine what goes through their heads that it would be such an important thing to argue about. Who cares? It's a tv show that will never be made again, and they are unlikely to ever watch the dvds again either. There are more important things to worry about."

Michonne laughed, "True, but maybe that is why they argue about such silly things. It's easier to make-up and let it go later."

"Maybe." Rosita nodded, "But they are still acting like children and it is annoying me."

"Come on, I bet I can get your mind off of them. Maybe let you use my sword?" Everyone wanted to try the sword at some point or other, and Rosita instantly perked up.

"Can I, please?" Now she looked like a small child herself, waiting for something exciting to happen.

"Sure, let's just go somewhere safer." Michonne waved to Rock and pointed at the edge of their clearing. "I wouldn't want you to hurt someone by accident."


	118. Jar

Tara squealed and Glenn looked over at her in alarm, hand on his knife and ready to fight if necessary. She was just standing in the middle of the aisle holding a jar and grinning like a maniac though. She held up the jar, did a little dance and then declared, "I am going to eat this whole jar all by myself."

"Tara, could you repeat that when you regain your sanity? You're going to draw walkers if you do that girly squealing thing again." Glenn frowned, not sure why she was so giddy and a little annoyed that she seemed to have lost her common sense.

She shrugged, ducking her head like a child being chastised for a moment, but she continued to grin. "Nutella, Glenn. Food of the gods, really where were you raised? The moon?" She held onto the jar with her greedy little fingers until he rolled his eyes at her, and then she tucked it into her own backpack.

"If it wasn't healthy I probably didn't have it as a kid." He started scanning the aisle again, collecting jars of peanut butter and jams that had long expiration dates. "I didn't eat a lot of sugar before I got out on my own."

Tara laughed, "You can't be that old, so you must not have been out on your own for very long before all of this went down. I might have to share some of this with you because it is a crime not to know the joys of Nutella." She paused, frowning, "On the other hand, you might like it a lot and then I'll have more competition for future Nutella finds."

He stopped, hand out to grab the next jar of strawberry preserves and turned to look at her, "I can't tell if you are being serous or not, but there are five other jars of that stuff on the shelf."

"You mean, there were five other jars on that shelf." She grinned again and started putting jars into their carry-case for supplies.

"I hope you don't plan to eat all six. You might die of a diabetic coma if you did." Glenn shook his head and went back to sorting and pulling jars.

Tara laughed, "Don't be silly, I only took one for me and the others are in the supply bag. It will take at least a week for me to get through the jar, and then I'll probably not want it for years." She shrugged, "I know, I did this once before as a kid. My dad was so mad at me, but in the end he thought that it was funny. I was the one who had to live with the consequences after all."

"Good, I would hate to try explaining death by Nutella to our friends. They probably wouldn't believe me."


	119. Boil

She couldn't remember where they were when she first woke up. It was cold and dark, and there was only the sound of breathing from the others who were still asleep. For a moment Carol wondered if there was a subconscious knowledge that prevented anyone from snoring because she hadn't noticed that anyone in their group had that problem, and maybe the need for quiet had been drilled into them so deep that even people who had snored before no longer would.

Carol shrugged and sat up on her bed roll, untangling her blanket from her legs. It was before dawn, but it felt close. That was another thing she had noticed. In the absence of clocks she had found herself feeling the time of day instinctively, and when she looked at her watch she was almost always right about the time, or within fifteen minutes of the correct time. She climbed out of her bed and made her way around the other sleeping bodies, hesitating slightly as Daryl reached out and touched her ankle. She frowned at him and shook her head, but he got up and followed her anyway.

There was a make-shift kitchen, very primitive, but it was enough for her to start water boiling. Everyone, except Carl, would want coffee when they woke, and the group had been lucky to find a few canisters of the instant variety a few days before. It made things go a little more smoothly in the mornings and the constant headache she had before was gone. When they ran out again it would be back though, as would the surly morning attitudes.

"Getting light out there. I'm gonna check my snares and see if we got anything. Want to walk with me?" Daryl stood, his bow already across his shoulder. "Rick doesn't want me to go alone anymore." He shrugged one shoulder and she smiled up at him, nodding.

"Sure. You know, one day I'd like to learn how to make some of those snares." Carol grinned, "I can teach you something in return if you'd like." He gave her a skeptical look and she laughed softly. "Don't discount my skills. I'm sure there's something that I know that you might like to learn some day."

"If you say so." He offered a hand to help her to her feet, "Come on, the water can keep while we go check the snares. It won't even boil before we get back."


	120. Nuts

AN: A little more crass than my usual, but I had a line that kept going through my head so I had to write it.

* * *

They were sitting in the living room when he got back from his short walk to the supply depot, Aaron sprawled across the couch while Daryl slumped in their overstuffed chair. Each had an open beer, sitting on a coaster, on the coffee table, and Eric nodded approvingly before he turned to put his coat away in the closet.

"How was your run this morning, did you find your nuts?" He heard Daryl snicker behind him, and he turned to see Aaron grinning, "Really? You can't have had that much to drink since you only just got back. You weren't drinking on the road, were you?"

Aaron shook his head, trying to stop himself from laughing. He had a look on his face that Eric recognized and before he had a chance to say whatever was going through his mind he was skillfully interrupted.

"Don't be a thirteen year old, you know what I meant, and unless you want those almonds to be the only nuts you enjoy for the rest of the week you won't say whatever it was you were going to say just now." Eric shook his head, shutting the closet door.

Daryl was laughing out loud now, but managed to get out, "Too much information, man."

Aaron was still grinning, and Eric nudged his side, "Move over and hand me one of those beers. If you're in this kind of mood I need to catch up."


	121. Reading

The old library had seen better days, but the building was intact, there wasn't a lot of mess and it could be secured for the night. There was even a vending machine full of drinks in the staff breakroom, and though everything was flat and warm it was better than the tepid water they carried in their flasks and canteens. It looked as though the library had been closed before everything went crazy and it wasn't a location that people would loot, at least not most people.

Carol was finding books on farming, handcrafts, animal care, basic medical care, and a host of other things that sounded useful. Most of the others were already sleeping, or were huddled around one of their solar lanterns to talk before resting. Rick was looking through the stacks of newspapers. They were all old now, but they were new when the world fell apart.

He shuffled through the papers, trying to find the earliest relevant issue, and glanced up at Carol, "I never really got to hear the story like all of you lived through it. Morgan told me the basics, but I never got to hear how things started or what happened step-by-step for the rest of the world."

She nodded, looking up for a book about first aid, "You could have asked. We all went through different things, which probably affected how we saw what was going on, but I think that any of us would have been willing to talk about it. You were in the hospital back then, right? Carl mentioned something but he was so young no one wanted to press for details and Lori never wanted to talk about it."

"Yeah, I had been shot. I was in the hospital for weeks. I'm not even sure how long because I couldn't tell you what day it was when I woke up and the world had become like this." He shook one of the papers that had a full cover picture of a walker. "It seemed like a nightmare at first."

"I can imagine. It still feels like that and I saw the first reports of walkers attacking people. Ed made sure we got out of our neighborhood when it became dangerous, but have we ever really gotten away from danger since then?" Carol shook her head, her lips twisted wryly. "You know, you can read all of that and it will give you an idea of how we learned things as they happened, but you can still ask questions. I don't mind talking about it. We know more about what was going on back then now, than we did when it was happening too."

He nodded, already pulling out a chair at the nearest table. "Alright, I appreciate that. I'll read all of these first though; maybe they'll give me an idea of what I want to know." Rick glanced toward Carl, "I sometimes think that I should ask him about what happened to him, and his mother, and how Shane got them out, but I'm not sure if I should yet. He's so closed off sometimes I worry."

Carol glanced back at the young man for a moment and nodded, "Sometimes, but he's grown so much. You have a lot to be proud of in him. And talking about the past might help him cope with it too. They used to always saying that talking something out helped it heal. Maybe he has things he needs to tell you but he hasn't had a chance to do that yet." She nodded again, grabbing a second book about bow and arrow construction, "I think I'll do some reading by the lantern before turning in."

"Sounds like a good plan, good night, Carol." He watched as she made her way across the lobby of the library, and hand one of the books to Daryl before sitting down next to the archer. It made him smile, but it didn't last when he turned back to the stack of newspapers to begin his own reading assignment.


	122. Cramp

She crouched, trying to remain as still as possible even though her thighs were quivering and the bottoms of her feet were starting to burn from remaining in that position for far too long. Tara held her breath as much as she could too, not wanting her panicky breathing give her position away to the small herd of walkers that was crossing in front of the store she was hiding inside. It was not a good position to be in, at all.

The store was like too many of the others in this little strip mall; the entire front of the building was clear glass with sliding doors. They had propped the doors to several of the stores so that they wouldn't be trapped by the unpowered door mechanisms and resort to breaking glass to get back out. It also helped to air out some of the small spaces. That seemed like a good decision at the time, but now she was hiding behind a cashier stand, hoping that none of the walkers would decide to come inside for a closer look.

There were reflective surfaces all around, which was another reason she had to be absolutely still. It also meant that she had limited visual contact with the walkers that were passing the mall though, and as she took a deep breath, holding it again for a moment, she saw that the herd was thinning. It gave her a little hope that her legs could stop cramping soon.

So far it seemed that their little run team had remained undetected. Tara hadn't heard any commotion that would be a sign that one of their team had been discovered or attacked. Glenn was supposed to be two stores down, and there were three others from Alexandria who were in the largest store at the end of the row. That was the location with the most store front to worry about, and the largest set of doors. It had been quiet though; no screaming, no gunfire, and no breaking glass. She was about to let herself relax when one of the walkers outside paused next to her own doorway, sniffing the air as though it were a dog on the scent of a rabbit.

Tara didn't like the thought that she was something's rabbit. She tensed, breathing slowly so it wouldn't be heard, and waited. There was movement behind the walker suddenly, and she saw Glenn grab the walker before it could fall, making noise to attract those that had already left, as he removed his knife from the back of the skull. He glanced around her store until she raised a hand above the counter and started to stand.

That hurt, and she had to stop and stay bent over for a moment until the pain in her legs faded. "Cramp," she whispered when Glenn looked confused. He nodded and stepped further into the store.

"Let's wait a few minutes to make sure the rest are gone before checking on the team. I think they're fine," He kept his voice down too, leaning against her check-out stand and cleaning his knife on the t-shirt rack that was next to it.


	123. Eavesdrop

Daryl hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but when he heard his name he stopped to listen to what Tara was saying. He froze in a comfortable slouch, his bow resting against his leg, and cocked his head slightly to one side, just waiting.

"Are you sure you wouldn't want one? Kittens are so cute, and soft, and fun to watch." Tara paused, "And mousing is probably a skill that will be in demand again as we start farming and gardening like the old days."

Carol laughed, "I'm sure, but that doesn't mean that I want Daryl to bring me a kitten. I don't know why he would find a kitten, and even if he did I don't know why he would bring it to me."

"Aaron found a kitten and brought it to Eric." There was a slight edge to Tara's comment, but Carol seemed to ignore it.

"Exactly, so why would Daryl bring one to me?" There was a slight noise, like she had just moved her chair back, and then two soft footsteps toward the counter. There was a squeaky board in front of the coffee area, so he could tell that she was refilling her cup. It already smelled of coffee in the house so the pot had been made a while before, and he could hear the clicks and bumps as she pulled the glass pot out from the plastic coffee machine.

"I don't know." Tara was like a petulant child sometimes. Daryl smirked because it was apparent that she did have an idea of why, but that she didn't want to say it to Carol. He didn't blame her; Carol could give good death glares when pushed. "Don't you like kittens?"

"Sure, I like kittens. I like dogs too, and lots of other animals. When I was a kid I had a dog. She was a golden retriever mix; big and shaggy. I went everywhere with her; I think she was my best friend until I got into middle school." There was a wistful tone to Carol's voice and Daryl shifted slightly. "Pets are nice to have, but they are a luxury we can't afford right now. Eric and Aaron are established here, and we've had to leave too many homes already. A cat or a dog could be a burden on the road, and a danger if they draw walkers to us."

Tara was silent for a long time. "Maybe if we stay here for a while?"

A shorter pause and Daryl could picture Carol in his mind's eye, weighing what Tara had said with the hope she hadn't voiced, "Maybe."


	124. Never

Eugene was terrible at apologies. He could admit that to himself, though he wouldn't like to have to admit it to anyone else. It was probably obvious anyway. He frowned, revising the words in his head until they sounded somewhat sincere. He wasn't sure if Tara would forgive him for their little argument, and really she was as much at fault as he was, with her silly views about Captains Janeway and Picard. Everyone knew that the original Trek would always be the best, even if they didn't have the coolest special effects that came with better technology.

Tara wasn't far away from him, though she had pointedly ignored him all morning. Rosita had finally given up on both of them, throwing her hands in the air and muttering something in Spanish before following Michonne to the clearing next to their camp. He had been tempted to follow, until he saw that they were working with the katana. Eugene knew better than to approach women when they were annoyed and armed.

Tara was armed as well, they all were in this group. Even he carried a knife though he wasn't really sure how to use it best. That could be a problem, but he wasn't sure how to ask for help and he wasn't sure he wanted to be sent on some of the tasks the others took upon themselves. Being helpless wasn't good either, but it was familiar.

He glanced at Tara again, and watched as she flipped through a ragged paperback. It wasn't going to get any easier, so he straightened his back and walked over to her. "I, um, wanted to talk to you about our conversation earlier." He paused and she looked up at him, one of her eyebrows quirked. "It shouldn't matter what Captains we like the best, because at the heart of it we both like the Trek universe and that makes us fandom-family."

A small smile was forming on her lips, "Okay, I'm sorry too. You're right, it really shouldn't matter what we liked best. It's all good." She shrugged and tipped her head, "Want to sit?"

He took a place on the log she was sitting on, glancing at the title of the book she had. "I hope we end up in a place with a library."

"I want to be in a place where we can have music again. I miss my songs." She set the book aside and looked out over the group as people chatted, cooked over their fire-pit and practiced with their weapons.

"What kind of songs did you like?" Eugene had the feeling that he was opening another can of worms, but he wanted to get past any awkwardness from their earlier disagreement so he was ready to like anything she named.

Tara grinned and poked his arm, "We're no stranger to love, you know the rules and so do I." He looked at her in alarm as she kept singing, his mouth falling open.

"Oh my god. You are a terrible person. Rick-rolling me? Now?"

Tara stopped signing and laughed, drawing the attention of several others, "Oh come on, you know it, sing it with me and they'll just think we're crazy. You know, like they usually do."

Eugene shook his head, but he was smiling, "Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you."


	125. Focus

Andrea leaned back against the side of her car and blinked back tears of frustration. It was dead and no matter how much they poked around the engine it wasn't going to resurrect, unlike some of the people they had seen in the last several days. She sighed and tried to smile at the man who had stopped to help the two women stuck on the side of the road.

Dale had pulled his RV off to the shoulder of the road as soon as he saw their car and roadside flares. He seemed okay, though she was always a little cautious about men who were traveling alone. He talked as he looked at the engine though, telling them about his late wife and his goal of traveling around the country since losing her. Amy already trusted him and was leaning over the engine with him, hanging on every word and asking lots of questions. It had given Andrea a few moments to collect herself after the fear and frustration of the morning.

"I'm sorry, but it really does look hopeless. If things were different I'd suggest calling a tow and getting it into a professional. As it stands? I doubt you could even get a call through." Dale stood up straight and looked directly at Andrea. "I know that we just met and you have no reason to trust me, but I don't feel good about leaving the two of you here on the side of the road. Would you be willing to ride with me to the refugee center?"

Amy looked at her, nodding quickly, and Andrea took a deep breath before answering. He was right, there really weren't many options. "Sure. If you can trust two crazy blondes, I think we can trust you. Just let us grab a few things. We don't really have much besides clothes, but we'd better take those." Andrea knew which bag had her handgun in it and there was no way she was leaving that behind.

Amy was grinning, "Thank you so much, Dale. It's already getting dark so I don't know what we would have done if we were stuck out here."

He nodded, and starting putting his tools away. "Not a problem. We humans need to stick together now, but you know there are plenty of people who will only be out for one thing as everything falls apart; themselves. I've already seen things that I wish I hadn't."

Andrea nodded, "We have too. It was never safe for women in many parts of this country, but I would bet that things are much worse for us all now." She grabbed their bags from the backseat and handed one to Amy. "This is all we need." She shut the doors, hitting the lock on her key fob.

"I wonder if we even need to lock it. Will we ever come back for it?" Amy had a strange look on her face, part fear but part something else that Andrea wasn't sure she would be able to name.

"Maybe not." She took her sister's arm, "Come on, we don't want to keep Dale waiting." He had already gone into the RV, leaving the door open for them and they followed now.

The city, and the center for refugees, was a good distance away still, but there was a lot of traffic on the highways and soon they had reached a snarl of cars that were completely stopped. Andrea could see in the glow of the city lights and headlamps that people far ahead were standing outside their vehicles, talking and looking toward the city. Dale seemed to be thinking the same thing that was on her mind, and he turned to give her a rueful smile, "We might be stuck on the road all night if this doesn't get moving soon. It doesn't look hopeful."

"I don't think I would be as brave as those people up ahead, in the dark like this, those things could come out of anywhere to grab at you." Andrea shuddered and Dale looked at her more closely.

"You've seen it happen, haven't you?" He nodded, "I have too. Maybe we should lock the door and cover the windows on the sides and back, just so no one gets any ideas about getting in. We can each take watch, if that would make you feel more secure."

Amy looked from Dale to her sister, her worry plain on her face. "You think someone might try to get in here?"

He nodded, "It's always a possibility. People see a RV and they start thinking about what supplies might be inside. They start wondering if they can take it for themselves." He frowned, "I've seen that before tonight also, but I have a gun under the seat here."

Amy looked to Andrea sharply and she smiled crookedly, "I hope you don't mind that I didn't tell you this before, but I have a gun too. My dad gave it to me before we left on our road trip. I didn't know if I should say anything until I was sure."

"Sure about me." Dale nodded, mostly to himself, "No, I understand. I didn't tell you about mine until I was sure of you too."

A flash of light from the city caught their attention and they all turned toward the windshield as flames rained down upon the city.

"Shit." Amy whispered, but the sentiment was echoed by both of the others. "Did they just firebomb the city?"

"Napalm, I think." Dale was shaking his head slowly, not sure if he was believing what his eyes were telling him. They were all frozen in place as more fire rained down and then suddenly, as though someone was pulling the plug from each block at a time the lights starting going out. It was like a cascade of darkness moving from one side of the city to the other until the only light came from the fires ahead and the headlights of the vehicles that were near them.

Andrea felt herself go pale, her vision greying for a moment until she caught herself on the headrest of the passenger seat. "We shouldn't stay here. It won't be safe, and if too many cars get behind us we won't be able to leave soon."

Dale caught her eye, "Sit before you fall down. I think I saw an access road back a few miles. Let me get this beast turned around and we'll get off the highway."

Amy felt her way back to the small table and bench, shaking her head. "Everything is different now, isn't it? Nothing will ever be the same again, will it? If they are bombing our own cities, they must really be giving up on beating this thing, whatever it is. How can we get through this if even the military is giving up?"

Andrea looked at Dale for a moment before turning to look at her sister. "Amy, please. Focus on the moment. We'll get through the night and then we'll see what we have to do next. Alright? Just stay focused on tonight."

The few cars that had been behind them seemed to have the same idea and several were backing up and turning, heading back to where they came from or taking other small roads that branched from the highway. Dale followed one, hoping for the best, and pretty soon they were at a small cleared area. "I think this might be as good as it gets for tonight, if we're going to get any sleep. I'll get out and talk to those people. See if they know anything we don't." There was a rugged looking man with a dark-haired woman and a small boy, already out of their car and looking around. "Want to come with me?"

Andrea nodded, but Amy shook her head, "I need to sit for a little more. I just can't process this yet."

Andrea touched her sister's shoulder briefly as she passed toward the door, "I'll be right back. Just focus on the moment, remember?"


	126. Hope

It seemed like the dark would go on forever, and she let her mind drift just to stay aware and awake. Focusing on anything too much just made the time seem to pass more slowly, and it already felt like an eternity had passed. In the dark it was impossible to know if it was the same day or if three days had come and gone. And she didn't even know what had happened.

Carol kept moving her foot, but the door remained stubbornly stuck in place. It moved a few inches open and closed, but she didn't have the strength to push any harder and she wasn't sure if she really wanted to anyway. She could hear walkers outside in the hall and one of them still had her knife embedded into its neck. Without that weapon she had nothing to fight with but her hands.

She leaned back against the cement wall and looked up at the ceiling. She couldn't actually see it, but she knew it was there and that somewhere out there the others might still be alive, or fighting for their lives. It just didn't make sense. They had been careful about the doors and gates, how could they have missed walkers inside like that? Unless someone had left a gate open on purpose? Could someone have done something like that? Carol didn't think any of their group would have done such a thing, but they had already found one small group of prisoners that had survived, maybe there were others.

It was cold, sitting on and against the cement. The floor seemed to leech any heat from her body and she shivered slightly. She had lost her scarf, not that it would have helped much, but it would have been something else to keep hold of as she waited. Her thoughts were always going in circles. The scarf made her think of how she lost it, and she had to close her eyes for a few minutes.

T-Dog was dead. He had saved her life, and he knew he was going to die but he fought anyway and it gave her the chance to get away. She would never forget that. Carol just hoped that there weren't other deaths. When they started running it looked as though everyone was starting to scatter, and any of them could have been killed. She didn't know if anyone else was alive, or if they were all fine and thought that she was dead.

Plus, it seemed like every time they had a plan for what to do when it came time for the baby to be born something happened to ruin it. What if Lori had needed her help and she wasn't there to give it? She hoped that the baby hadn't come yet, but with the stress and excitement, she couldn't guess what might happen. Hope, Carol scoffed at the very notion, she kept hoping things and it was just a bunch of wishful thinking that never got her anywhere in the past. She didn't know what had happened or what was going on, and hoping wasn't going to change any of it. She just had to be practical and keep herself alive for a little longer, keep moving in case someone noticed the door she was trapped behind before the walkers did, and listen for a sign that she wasn't the only one left.


	127. Play

Tara threw up her hands, which meant that all of the play money she was holding went flying up also. She sighed as it floated back down to the game board. "You are a horrible person, and I am glad that you were never one of my real landlords."

Carl smirked and collected the money, "I am too. You would never have paid your rent on time." He laughed and shifted to the side so she missed him when she reached over to poke his shoulder. "I think we should play this more often. I didn't even know they made a Star Wars version of Monopoly, this board is so cool."

"You should see the Star trek version, or the one for Lord of the Rings." Eugene was counting his money on the other side of the table, sorting through the different kinds of bills before taking the dice and rolling for his next turn. He landed on one of the few properties still available and bought it immediately. "Lucky roll for me." He gave Tara a crooked smile, "Maybe I should blow on your dice before you roll the next time?"

She shook her head slightly, "I think I should have Rosita do that. She seems luckier than you."

Carl rolled his eyes, "I don't care if you have the whole neighborhood blow on them as long as you take your turn and stop talking about it."

Tara laughed, "I will when it is my turn, but right now it happens to be your turn still, Carl." She shifted to stand, "I'm going to get a drink, anyone else want something while I'm up?"

Carl shook his head, a little flushed, but the others asked for more lemonade. He was more patient this time and simply handed the dice to Tara when she returned. "I want to play that fandom scrabble that you and Eugene taught me, that was fun."

"Well, you'll have me beat at this game pretty soon, so if it isn't too late and your dad doesn't object we can play a game tonight." She grinned at him and resisted the urge to tousle his hair.


	128. Remember

There was a box sitting on his bunk when he got back to his perch in the prison. Daryl had claimed that guard room as his own when they first moved in and was still there. The thought of being in one of the cells just gave him chills and he hardly even visited the others when they were in their sleeping space. So it wasn't hard for people to figure out where his room was located, and now someone had left something for him.

It was a plain brown cardboard box, with the top flaps folded over each other to keep it closed. It didn't move or smell funny, so he wasn't too suspicious, but it was an odd occurrence for him to find anything left without a note. He set his things down, making sure his bow was secure, before approaching the bunk and the box. Daryl poked the side of the box first, and then feeling silly he looked out the windows surround the room to see if anyone was around to watch. Thankfully the cell block appeared to be empty.

He sighed and grabbed the top flaps, pulling them apart from each other and opening the box. The contents made him pause again. There was a hunting knife on top, a Bowie in a nice leather sheath. He let his fingers slide over the side of the handle and sheath for a moment before picking it up. It felt like a good knife, and the handle was well constructed. He set it aside to look at what was underneath though.

There was a large piece of folded cloth at the bottom, and he pulled it out of the box. It turned out to be a dark blue fleece blanket, with thin strips of green at the edges. It felt soft, and warm, and would be the perfect thing to have on his bed as the weather grew colder. The knife could have come from anyone who knew how he spent his time, but the blanket was different. There was only one person who worried about his comfort enough to give him something like that.

He looked around the room and then the cell block, again, and she was on the walkway outside again. "Did you?"

Carol nodded, "Happy Birthday."

"How did you know it as my birthday?" He folded the blanket and set it at the foot of the bed, and set the empty box on the floor.

"A few months ago you told me. We were talking about Sophia and being kids, and I asked. I just remembered what day it was." She shrugged, "I thought that someone should remember."

He touched the soft fabric again, nodding slowly, "Thank you."


	129. Pain

He hissed and pulled away sharply, not knowing how to protect his ankle without hitting it on something else and making it hurt even more. Aaron steadied him until he had his balance again, and then let go abruptly. Eric wavered slightly and just barely resisted the temptation to use one of his crutches as a weapon.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Aaron stopped, unsure of how to phrase his apology when Eric was giving him a dirty look. "Well, I didn't."

Eric hobbled to the couch and sat down, sighing and then gasping as his foot hit the leg of the coffee table. His pain meds had worn off in the middle of the night and he hadn't had a chance to take another yet, not that it would have been working yet if he had. It hurt, a lot, and everything he did to find a comfortable spot to settle just made everything worse.

"I'll just go get your pills and some water." Aaron was looking at him oddly and he supposed that the light-headed feeling he had was apparent by making him even paler. He had caught his reflection in a mirror the night before and when the pain had gotten so bad he felt as though he might pass out his skin had almost become translucent. It was a little scary.

He leaned forward as much as he could on the couch and grabbed a handful of his clothing to help lift his leg onto the coffee table so that it would be elevated, and then relaxed and lay back panting. Eric couldn't remember the last time he had been in so much pain. He had never broken a bone before and this was in a joint so every little movement felt like an explosion. It didn't help that Aaron hovered and worried until he accidentally caused more pain.

There were twin beds in the downstairs guest bedroom and Eric was determined that he would be sleeping there, in one of those beds, for the next few nights. He couldn't even roll over without pain, and every time Aaron had shifted in his sleep the movement caused a throbbing in Eric's ankle that woke him again. He hadn't gotten a lot of rest the night before. All he wanted to do now was sit very still, take some of those strong pain meds, and sleep until everything was better. He didn't think that would be allowed though, at least not the sleeping part.

Aaron appeared at the arm of the couch, pills in one hand and a glass of water in the other. "Would you be okay if I went out for a while today? I was thinking about talking to Dixon about taking your place as a recruiter for a while, and the sooner I talk to him about it the better." He shrugged and gave Eric the pills and the water, "So Deanna doesn't give him a different job to do before I make the offer."

Eric shook his head, "I don't mind. I just want to get some more sleep." He glanced around the room, "I could stay here if I had a few books and a throw blanket."

"I can get those for you. You should eat something too, so the pills don't make you feel sick. Rest for a bit and I'll make breakfast." He took the glass again, to refill it, and went back to the kitchen.

Eric hoped the pills would kick in soon, but Aaron was right about eating something. The strong meds were not gentle on his stomach, and he didn't want to have to get up more than necessary. He closed his eyes and willed the pills to work, but they still hadn't taken the edge off the pain by the time Aaron returned with a tray that held a bowl of oatmeal for each of them, two mugs and the refilled glass of water.

"I hope you don't mind, I made some tea for you instead of coffee." He set the tray down on the coffee table to take his own bowl and mug off before settling the tray over Eric's lap.

"No, that's better, so the caffeine won't keep me awake. Thank you." The tray did made it easier for him to stay in place, not having to sit up and shift his leg one more time, "Where are you going to look for Dixon?"

Aaron shrugged, sitting back in their overstuffed chair, "Someone mentioned that he asked about going outside the walls to hunt, so I might ask someone from his group first, but I bet he'll be in the woods."

"Be careful. I know I don't need to tell you that, but you don't know him yet and he doesn't trust us yet. If he thinks you are following him he might not react well." Eric sighed, letting his mug warm his hands as he waited for it to cool a little. "If you keep going out there, without me, it won't be easy. You know that I'll worry, and that sometimes it might not sound reasonable, but it won't matter."

Aaron nodded, sipping his coffee, "I know. Even though it might seem safer inside these walls, I'll still worry about you too."

"And I'm coming back out there as soon as my ankle can take it." Eric saw the stubborn look that crossed Aaron's face and decided to ignore it for now. It would be a fight they could have later, when he was well enough to hold his own instead of being half asleep and in pain.


	130. Teach

Tara and Eugene both stood up straight and tried to look serious when Rick started stalking toward them. They didn't know what he was looking at them for, or why he seemed so intense, but they didn't dare move away until he reached them and leaned in close.

"What the hell are you teaching Carl?"

Tara couldn't tell if Rick were just curious or if he was mad about something. "Um, what do you mean? We were talking about comic books a little while ago."

Rick gave her a look that clearly expressed his disbelief. "Carl just asked if I knew how to burp the alphabet."

Eugene snorted, trying to stop himself from laughing, "That is all Tara's fault. I claim no responsibility."

Tara rounded on Eugene, giving him a dirty look, "Liar. You were the one who told me that we should teach him how to do it. I was trying to be polite. I just drank a lot of soda." She frowned and glanced at Rick, who was looking more amused than angry now.

"Really. I'm betting that there are better things for the two of you to teach a teenaged boy. I thought that the two of you were supposed to be adults, and smart ones at that." Rick shook his head. This was exactly the kind of thing that Shane would have been trying to teach Carl, if he were still alive, and sane. He paused, catching their eyes for a moment, "Thank you for making him laugh though, it's been a few days. I needed to hear that again."


	131. Ran

When they were out beyond the walls of Alexandria she ran. She ran until she was out of breath and then continued running. She tripped over branches and rocks that were embedded in the earth, got up and continued running. She wanted to live, and so she had to run, but most of all, she ran from herself. It was so easy to run from everything around herself, and to hide in the assumptions that others made about her. Far easier than being honest about her feelings.

It was better if they thought that she didn't care, when she really cared too much. That was why she wanted to leave. Over and over again they lost the people they loved. They lost family and friends, and her. It was inevitable, she would lose more of them and be helpless to stop it. Carol closed her eyes and leaned against the porch. Her mental exercise was wearing her out and she needed to catch her breath for a moment.

She told Daryl that she couldn't stay and watch him die. He thought that it meant she was giving up too soon. She knew that if she didn't die first that it was just inevitable that she would see him die. She couldn't bear it. Just the thought of it made her chest ache and her heart clench. It brought tears to her eyes when she had sworn that she would never let anyone see her cry again. She couldn't be weak. She couldn't let them know that she could still be soft. Not when she needed to be like steel; cold and unyielding.

"You've been quiet tonight."

Carol turned and gave Daryl a look of incredulity. "Seriously? You are the prince of silence and you comment on how quiet I am?" She snorted and turned back to face the street, letting him decide if he wanted to stay or go back inside.

"Well, I'm always quiet, but you usually say something to someone." He paused, stepping up next to her close enough that she could feel the brush of his jacket. "Unless you're planning something. You planning something I should know about?"

"I don't know that I'd tell you if I were planning something." She shrugged and glanced at him for a moment. "You'd either be involved or it would be something I didn't want you to know about."

Daryl squinted at her, not sure if she were being serious. She looked as though she had been thinking about something intense, and now she was trying to distract him by being confusing. "Hopefully it would be that first one."

She nodded, not looking at him again. A muscle in her jaw twitched, and that worried him a little. "You ain't running again, are you?"

"Not yet." Carol turned away from the porch railing suddenly, taking two steps away from him. "Why? Would you care if I did? I heard about what you said to Aaron, when you were trapped in that car. He told Eric about what happened." She took a deep breath, "It was honorable to think of saving someone else, but do you have so little here that you would be willing to leave it all behind?"

He had to collect his thoughts for a moment, not liking that she had heard anything about what had happened before Morgan had found them. "You know Aaron loves Eric, and he made the same offer."

"I know, and I also know what Eric's reaction to that was. Should I feel any less?" Her face was blank, but her voice held an edge of pain that he hadn't heard since they were on the road to Grady. "We need you, Daryl. We wouldn't be the same without you."

He moved closer, taking her by the shoulders and looking down at her, "Are you sure that it's 'we' or is it just you?"

She finally looked up at him, "Would it matter?"

There was only one answer to that, and he spoke without having to think, "Yes."


	132. Sacrifice

"_You_ are mad at _me_?" There was an obvious mix of anger and hurt in his words, with just enough inflection to show disbelief as well. "You were going to sacrifice yourself. Those things would have ripped you apart." He had to stop to take a deep breath. "I can't- I just can't-" Eric stopped again and shook his head, his right hand coming up to cover his mouth as he tried to get his thoughts in order.

"I'm not mad at you, I just wish you would understand why I would do what I was going to do." Aaron shrugged, "He offered to do the same."

Eric was still shaking his head, "How can I understand that? You would have been dead, and what, that was supposed to make me feel better about losing you?"

"If I'm going to die, I'd rather die trying to save someone else."

"And I'd rather that you weren't so willing to die. Did you think that his life was more important that yours? That his friends would hurt more than I would?" He took a shuddery breath and Aaron reached out toward him, but he backed away out of reach. "Did you even think about me when you made that offer?"

Aaron looked away, not even wanting to answer that because he knew that he hadn't thought about Eric until Daryl had mentioned him. He tried _not_ to think about Eric when he was in danger because he knew it would cloud his judgment and that could make almost any situation worse.

Eric seemed to be drawing his own conclusions from the silence though. "That last night that we were out there, recruiting together, would it have been better for you if I had just died instead of being injured?"

Aaron's head came up fast, and he moved quickly across the room to grab Eric's shoulders before embracing him tightly, "No. That would have ruined me."

"Then why would you be so willing to leave me?" The words were mumbled into his shirt, but there was no attempt to break apart. "If you died, I wouldn't stay here. I'd find a way to follow you, somehow."

It was a little melodramatic, but he could tell it was sincere. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again, I promise."


	133. Home

He lifted his face up to the sun and closed his eyes. This was the place that felt like home to him, no matter how far it was from his actual home. Daryl opened his eyes again, squinting at the tops of the trees he was standing underneath. It was a good day. Quiet, and they hadn't seen any signs of people moving through, but it was still a good day.

Being alone, out in the woods, was where he felt the most like himself. No matter how many people he had that he cared about, or who actually gave a shit about him, he still felt more at peace under trees and by himself. Having people was still relatively new; he didn't always trust in it yet and sometimes he had to question if what they really wanted was his skills and experience. Out in the wilderness he could count on those things for himself and not need to worry about anyone else needing protection or getting in his way.

Getting out from behind those walls and into the trees was what real freedom was to him, and he was grateful to Aaron for giving him the excuse to be outside as often as he wanted. He was also grateful to the other man for giving him his space when they were out on recruiting runs; the motorcycle helped with that. He knew that it couldn't be easy when Aaron was used to working with a partner that was almost always with him in one way or another though. There were times when Daryl was sure that Aaron was hesitating over saying or doing something, but then he would let it go again and things would continue on as they had been.

He heard the sound of the car door opening and closing again, and Daryl looked back toward the road. Aaron had gotten out of the car but was leaning against it, waiting for him to be ready. Daryl nodded, took a deep breath, and started back to the pavement.


	134. Sturdy

The walls were supposed to be sturdy, built to withstand a lot that could be thrown at them. There were things that were not anticipated, however, like other people who would want to destroy the community just to destroy it. They had always been careful about the people they brought in and the contact they had with outsiders, but now there were people who knew about them and those people were a danger. Fighting against a foe who wanted to take what you want was easier than dealing with people who just wanted to burn it to the ground and kill you all for their own purposes.

Carol hunkered down next to the wall, listening as a herd of walkers milled about outside. They were trying to be careful and not drawn more attention to the insides of those walls. If the walkers could be distracted by something else they would eventually move away. They had been drawn to Alexandria purposefully though, as a tactic to distract and possibly damage the walls. Perhaps to even find a breach and cause chaos; the panic of walkers inside the gates would be just as damaging as a grenade thrown into their midst.

She exchanged a look with Daryl and he shook his head slightly. They had been in this situations together so many times before it seemed like all they ever did was to go from one battle to another. Never exactly the same because the people and places changed, but the feeling and reasons always seemed to be on repeat. Carol frowned. It was so much easier when she could just shoot the enemy and be done with them, but one shot would rile all of the walkers outside, and draw more to them as well.

She glanced past Daryl to Aaron and Eric, and then Rick on their other side. There was a whole line of people outside, waiting and listening before they tried to formulate their plan. She wanted them to all get moving again though. Sitting next to the wall was just making her blood pressure soar and wasn't getting anything accomplished. She leaned to the right and caught Carl's eye and he nudged his father. Rick looked to her quickly and gave a nod before gesturing for them all to head back into the town.


	135. Wide-Eyed

It was hard not to look back toward where they had come from, though it was a waste of time as the view seldom changed. There were flames and smoke, and he could imagine that there were still walkers milling around the streets. Eric took a deep breath and focused on where they were going, catching Aaron's wide-eyed stare. "You look as scared as I feel."

Aaron nodded, "I never thought that it would come to this." He looked ahead, where some of the other survivors were talking over a map. "Alexandria was safe for so long, I thought that maybe it would survive everything that might happen, or that nothing would happen."

"It was our safe zone. No matter what we saw when we were out on the roads together, home was always safe." Eric reached out to take Aaron's hand, squeezing it. "I forgot what it felt like, when all of this was starting and we were still in D.C. watching the crowds in the streets and the people running from walkers. The chaos and panic." He shook his head, "I think I wanted to forget."

"You get used to this, after surviving it a couple times." Daryl came up behind them, Carol at his side. She offered bottles of water as Daryl continued, "We haven't felt safe for a long time. Even when we had the prison, there always seemed to be someone trying to take it away from us."

Carol nodded, "I hoped for a very long time that it could be different. That one day people could let others alone without wanting to take whatever they could, but maybe it's just human nature to destroy. Hope just gets you to put down your guard, and then when you least expect it there is someone there to take all of it away from you again."

"That's really bleak." Eric frowned, uncomfortable with the way Aaron seemed to be agreeing with her.

"It is, it really is, but it's true." She gave him a sad smile and started past them on the path, "I've got more water to hand out. Make sure you drink that."

Daryl caught the way they were looking at her, and then at him and he shrugged, "She isn't wrong."


	136. Magical

There was snow in the air and Rick watched his son carefully. Carl had turned his face up to the sky, letting the small white flakes float down into his eyelashes and slip against his cheek. They had never experience much snow in Georgia. They had plenty of cold in winter, but little snow, and when it did fall it usually melted before it hit the ground. Now that they were further north it actually stuck around for weeks if not months.

It still felt a little magical when it was first falling though, and Rick was enjoying the look of winder on Carl's face. He hadn't seen that look in a very long time. He hoped that one day Judith would be able to have that look too. This wasn't a world for children any longer; there was no time for childhood when they had to learn how to survive as soon as they could walk. He shook his head, thinking, as a Deputy he had seen a lot of things to suggest that the world was never a safe place for anyone, but it had still been better before.

Before. Back then a baby could cry and while it might annoy people, it wasn't going to attract an insatiable monster. Back then a child had time to grow up, and even if their life wasn't perfect, they probably had more than what was available now. At least his kids had more, or would have had more. Rick could imagine what life would have been like if Judith had been born in that world; Lori would have still been a part of it if they had proper medical care like they did at Carl's birth. They would have grown up happy, in their little house, going to school and out on dates, and hopefully to college one day. One day they might have had kids themselves and he would have been so proud to be a grandfather, but now?

Now he had to savor those moments when he could look at his son and still see the boy who could experience a moment of beauty.


	137. Sneezed

"Alright, that's it. You are going back to bed, right now." Eric pointed toward the stairs, "Go, and lay down."

Aaron frowned and then sneezed again. "It's just a cold. I'm fine."

"Really? You've been sneezing since last night, and coughing. You need to rest, not go outside the walls." Eric grabbed a box of tissues from the side table and held it out until it was taken. "I'll make some tea and bring it up to you, but you had better be in bed."

"You know, I think you've made better offers." Aaron smirked and started for the stairs. "Daryl was going to come by to go over the maps again."

"I'll talk to him, don't worry about it. Just get up there. You need to rest if you are going to get better." Eric stepped into the kitchen, listening as Aaron's footsteps move up the stairs toward their bedroom. A cold wasn't a big deal in the old world, but now it was something that could lead to more trouble. Health trouble, or trouble by drawing attention to one's location, and Eric didn't want to have either drawn to Aaron. They didn't have a lot of medicines for simple things, so colds just had to play themselves out with rest, fluids and whatever vitamin-rich foods they could find.

He made the tea first, picking a mint tea that Aaron favored when the weather was colder, and then letting it steep he looked through the pantry to see if they had any cans of chicken noodle soup left. There were three cans and a small bag of the crackers that Olivia was fond of making for everyone. Soup seemed like a good idea for lunch. When the tea was ready he brought it upstairs, where Aaron was still fully dressed and sitting on the side of the bed.

"I meant it, get into bed." He set the tea on Aaron's nightstand, and touched his boyfriend's forehead, "You feel a little warm."

"Alright, I'll lay down. I'll drink the tea, and sleep for a while." As Eric moved around to the foot of the bed he started taking his shoes off, "Just let me know if you need me for anything later. I don't want to sleep all day or I'll never get to sleep tonight."

"I think I'm going to step out for a little while. I want to see if there are any cold meds in supply, or more tissues." Eric tugged the blankets up around Aaron's shoulders and smiled when he was given a dirty look, "I'm not mother-henning. I just want you to get better."

He stayed on the first floor of the house for a while, waiting for Daryl to stop by so he could explain the situation. The archer took it in stride, nodding once before leaving again. Eric was in the middle of preparing the soup for lunch when Carol stopped by the house, "Daryl mentioned that Aaron was coming down with a cold. I thought that you could use some of these." She held up a baggie filled with cold meds. "I'm not sure of all the expiration dates, but I think most are still good."

"You are a life-saver! I was going to check supply after lunch for those very things." He stirred the soup for another moment before leaving it to take the bag. "I'm sure we won't need all of these, so maybe we can sort through it for a couple?"

"Maybe I can do that, while you watch that soup. It's about to boil over." Carol took the bag back and emptied it on the counter, starting to sort through the pills by their small packaging; daytime, nighttime, 24hr, and so forth. Then she went through the dates, only having to pick out one of the two-packs. "Some of these might help him sleep through the night if he's coughing."

"I wish we had some vitamins too. Medical needs have been focused on the larger needs for the runs, and I've always wanted to do more prevention." He shrugged, "We used to take a lot of vitamins so we wouldn't get sick when traveling overseas. I almost miss getting all of those vaccinations."

Carol nodded, "I miss them too. I worry about Judith not getting the normal vaccinations that babies used to get. Prevention is a good idea though, when we can do that we should." She glanced around the kitchen for a moment, "I'll leave all of these, and whatever you don't need you can bring back to us if you want. I'll have a talk with Glenn about vitamins and more over-the-counter medications."

"Thank you, Carol, I really appreciate this and I'm sure Aaron will too when he feels better." He touched her shoulder briefly as she passed him on the way out of the room again. "I'll talk to you later."

She left after giving him a hopeful smile, and he finished lunch. There was a tray for eating in bed so he fixed it up with the soup, crackers, water, and some of the cold medications, and then took it upstairs to Aaron. "You have good friends, they brought medications to help with the cold symptoms."

Aaron was mostly awake, and he rolled over to look up at Eric, "I have lots of good people it seems." He sat up slowly, leaning back against his pillows as Eric put the tray over his legs, "Are you going to stay up here with me?"

"Of course." He moved to his side of the bed, and got comfortable.


	138. Fears

There were a lot of reasons to be afraid in the world as it currently was, and a lot of them were perfectly logical reasons. There were a lot of dangers out there, and inside the walls for that matter, Carol knew. There were some fears and dangers that were not logical, and were not necessary in any way. Those were the ones that pissed her off. Especially when she saw someone use their fears against someone she thought of as one of her people.

She was walking to one of the homes down the street, bringing a casserole to one of the elderly that had live-in help, when she saw something that made her stop in the middle of the sidewalk. She had been about to wave to Eric when she saw him in his yard, but there was another neighbor that had his attention, leaning over the fence and speaking too low for Carol to hear. She saw the expression on Eric's face though, and it made her freeze a little on the inside. His face had gone from wary to confused to completely blank in seconds.

She saw him glance down the street toward the walls and then shake his head, throwing down the garden tool that he had been holding before spinning suddenly and stalking toward the house. He was inside before she started walking again, and for the few seconds that she was still standing there she looked at the neighbor and saw the smirking satisfaction that he had on his face. In that instant she knew exactly the kind of things he had been saying, and why, and her jaw clenched.

Carol continued on her way, finally, to drop off the food and left again without staying for a visit. She stopped to visit Eric instead. He answered the door quickly enough, but he was quieter than he usually was.

"I saw what happened, just a little bit ago. I was passing by outside." She hesitated but he nodded so she continued. "What did he say to you?"

Eric shrugged, "The stuff he usually says."

"Want me to beat him up for you?" She was mostly joking, but if he had actually wanted her to do something she'd pull out all the stops to get it done.

He snorted, giving her a smile finally, "Only if Aaron doesn't do it first. Of course, since I'm not going to tell him I guess Mr. Winters will get a pass."

"Maybe Mr. Winters has already had enough passes." There was an edge to her voice and Eric seemed to hear it too, becoming serious again. "He shouldn't be saying anything to you that makes you look like you did out there. I saw that, Eric, and I saw the look on his face when you went inside."

"I know." He fidgeted and started for the kitchen, Carol following slowly. "I think I need a glass of water. Would you like some water?"

"Sure, that would be nice." She leaned against the opposite counter and watched him get the glasses down. "I don't want to overstep any boundaries, but I don't think it's right that he can harass you and nothing is done about it."

"I don't think that anyone would do anything about it, not officially. You know what Pete was doing to his family and no one did anything to stop that until Rick stepped into it." Eric handed her a glass of water, "Winters hasn't even physically assaulted me, or anyone else, so what would be done? Besides, it isn't the first time I've heard that sort of thing. I've been insulted and threatened by much scarier people than him."

"Me too, but that doesn't mean that he should get away with it. Bullies get braver over time when no one stops them. He might just be using words now, but you are alone here a lot, and he knows that. I worry."

"Aaron worries too, which is why I don't want him to know. He might do something, and I'm not sure if we would be protected from trouble the way that others have been in the past." Eric looked at her intently for a few moments, "I don't want you to get into any trouble on my behalf either."

Carol smirked, "If I got into trouble it would be on my own behalf, and I can take it. I could even stick to words, at least at first."


	139. Bottle

There was an open bottle of wine sitting on the coffee table, and a glass that was mostly full sitting next to it. Eric was engrossed in his book and didn't look up when Aaron first came into the house, though he set the book aside when he finished the page. Aaron put his jacket in the closet before crossing the room and sitting on the other side of the couch. "Wine? Do I need to ask how your day was?"

"Not really. Want a glass? I could go get another." Aaron shook his head so Eric leaned back onto the cushion again, picking up his glass first. "I remembered that I could have this again, now that I'm done with those pain meds."

"Don't want to talk about your day, then?" Aaron sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. He was tired. Not a lot had happened when he was outside the walls that day but it was still tiring to be constantly vigilant. "Maybe I should have some of that after all, but I can get the glass myself."

He stood, stretching a little before heading for the kitchen, and caught Eric watching him. "Like what you see?"

Eric smirked, "Always. If dinner wasn't already in the oven I'd want to do more than look too." He shook his head and picked his book up again as Aaron disappeared into the kitchen.


	140. Barn

"You should be sleeping too." Daryl sat next to him with a sigh, leaning back against the barn wall. Aaron didn't react though, and Daryl was tempted to say it again in case he wasn't really awake at all. His eyes were open, staring at the pile of blankets where he should have been sleeping next to Eric. "We'll all have to be on our feet soon enough."

"I know. I just can't sleep." He glanced at Daryl for a few seconds, "Shouldn't you be sleeping too then?"

"I took over watch from Carol a little early. She was doing too much yesterday; making sure we all had water, food, watching over the injured. I figured she could use the rest." He shrugged, "I thought that I'd check on everyone in here before heading to the perch."

The barn had a nice hayloft, warm from the bales of hay that had melded into each other over time, and there was a good line of sight for the entire road that went by the small farm. Daryl would go up there once he was convinced that the people filling the stalls below were all getting the rest they needed. Some were being a bit stubborn about doing what was best for them though. "I'll sleep soon, I just needed some time to think."

"Without interruption?" Daryl gestured toward Eric, "I remember something we talked about a couple weeks ago, about you making decisions for him without his say."

Aaron shook his head slowly, "I'm not doing anything like that. There are no decisions to be made for just the two of us now. Everything we do involves everyone else here." He made a small gesture to indicate the stalls around them. "I was just thinking about how life might have been different."

"Nice place to live?" Daryl chuckled, "You don't like living in a barn?"

Aaron tipped his head to the side so he could give Daryl a dirty look, "Lifelong dream."

"No, really. None of us are in a place we might have pictured before." Daryl shrugged and picked at some of the straw littering the floor. "It doesn't have to be a bad thing, not all the time."

"I know, but I keep feeling like I should be doing more. I should be doing something so that he isn't hungry, or cold, or scared. Before all of this happened we talked about getting married. There were a few states where it was legal, but we never had the time to go and do it, and then we ran out of time." He clenched his fist around a handful of the ropes hanging from the wall. "I keep thinking that I wouldn't have been a very good husband."

Daryl was quiet for several moments, waiting for Aaron to calm down again. It wasn't easy to read the other man sometimes, but they had spent a lot of time in each other's company before leaving Alexandria and he was very observant. "You know, he's probably thinking the same thing about himself. I bet the only reason he can sleep right now is that those kids he was watching today are exhausting. You should talk to him about it tomorrow. I know that helped Maggie and Glenn; they were in a bad spot for a while, back at the prison. You don't get through those spots by trying to take it all on by yourself."

Aaron looked at him again, frowning, "I shouldn't be surprised when you say things like that, but you always catch me off guard."

"Can't help that I'm a genius and no one remembers that." Daryl smirked, "I'd better get up to the loft or Sasha will take my spot. That girl has been itching to shoot something for days."


	141. Carrier

Carol smiled down at Judith, bouncing the baby a little. It was hard not to smile when one was around the little girl. No matter how tragic her beginnings were she was a happy child and so easy to care for. It was a blessing when other things were so difficult. A colicky baby would lead to all sorts of trouble; noise and exhaustion would just be part of it.

"You ready to go?" Daryl slung an arm over her shoulder and peered down at the baby, wiggling fingers at her for a moment. "We need to get on the road soon if we're gonna be back before dark."

"I'm ready, just waiting on Beth." The young blond was across the room, standing by the stove and warming a bottle of formula. "I'll just be another minute I think."

"Yep, almost done." Beth grinned at the both before turning back to the stove. "You could put her in the baby carrier, if you need to go. This is almost ready, and I'm right here if she needs anything else."

Judith made a grab for Daryl's fingers and he chuckled, "Lil'Asskicker's gonna be ready for runs soon too. Ain't you?"

The baby giggled at the face he was making and grabbed at his fingers again. "Don't you listen to him, sweetie. Auntie Carol will teach you how to defend yourself before there are any runs for you, and Uncle Daryl can teach you how to track and hunt. Of course, none of that will happen for years." Carol shook her head and turned to put the baby in the carrier.

"Soon as she can walk she'll be nothing but trouble." Daryl let go of Carol so she could get Judith comfortable, "Come on, Michonne is waiting and you know how she is before she finds her chocolate."


	142. Sky

"Did you ever just watch the stars when you were a kid?" Rick had his face turned up to the sky, enjoying the view of the Milky Way as it crossed the night sky. It was a clear night and it seemed like every star was visible for a change.

Daryl shrugged, "I guess. Never really thought about doing it, but sometimes if I was outside on a nice night it was something to do."

Rick nodded, "I always wanted to have one of those fancy telescopes to look at everything, but Lori gave me one for my birthday a couple years ago and I could never figure out how to use it properly. Carl used to joke that I was scientifically illiterate."

"Went to a planetarium once, when I was in high school. Class field trip. It was cool, but I spent most of my time looking for trouble instead of the stars." Daryl shifted his weight, looking up at the sky. He liked Rick, and felt that the other man respected him, but every time they talked about their pasts he had the feeling that they had absolutely nothing in common. If they would have crossed paths before the world fell apart it would have been under very different circumstances and the outcome wouldn't have been friendship. Not with his law-breaking brother and Rick's law enforcement career. Lori had still been giving him dirty looks while accepting the food he had hunted for the group and Carl had been afraid of him at first.

"I probably would have done the same. Shane was always getting me into trouble when we were in high school. If I had guessed how we would have ended up back then, I think I would have seen myself visiting him in jail somewhere instead of working with him in the Sheriff's Department." Rick chuckled, "He would have made fun of me for wanting to know what the constellations were too."

"Have to know those things now. It's how they used to steer ships across the ocean and find their ways across the plains. Sometimes the old ways are the ones you can count on when everything else turns to shit." Daryl pointed up, "Like that big bright star there, isn't really a star. This time of year that should be Venus. Easy to find if you know what you need and it will help you find East just before dawn. Or that one up there," He turned and pointed again, "The brightest star in Ursa Minor is the North Star."

Rick was grinning at him when he looked back down from the sky, "Maybe we should have you teach a class. You did say you could teach me something about tracking a while back. Seems like a good thing to know."

Daryl shrugged. "Maybe. If people would listen I could try."

"People would listen, Daryl, we know that you have skills we could only hope to pick up from our hurried experiences. You would definitely have our full attention." Rick reached out and grasped Daryl's shoulder, squeezing briefly, "I have no doubts what-so-ever."


	143. Hungry

The house seemed quiet when he parked in the driveway, but as soon as he opened the front door he heard laughter. Someone was visiting, and Aaron wasn't sure who it was from the noise. Their most frequent visitor was Daryl and he had gone directly home instead of leaving the motorcycle in the garage as he usually did. Carol was another good guess and as he got closer to the kitchen he realized that she was the one in there with Eric.

Eric laughed again and Aaron paused just outside the kitchen, "I don't know what we're supposed to do with all of these. This is too much, we'll be eating squash for the next three years."

Aaron peeked around the doorframe, "Eating what?"

Carol waved him closer and held up a mason jar. "Summer squash." She smiled and made a flourishing gesture over the counter, which was covered with jars. "We were canning all of the summer squash, zucchini, patty pan and pumpkins from the back gardens today."

"We baked a pie too, for tonight." Eric grinned, reaching out to Aaron, "I missed you."

Aaron leaned in for a kiss, "I missed you too."

"That's so cute." Carol laughed, "I should go, but I'll be back tomorrow to help with the cucumbers. Now you can ask what type of pickles we should make." She waved as she left the room, and a few seconds later they heard the door open and close.

"Pickles?" Aaron looked around the kitchen again, taking in all of the jars and the big pot on the stove.

"It seemed the best way to preserve the cukes." Eric shrugged, "We can do dill or sweet, or spicy with some of the hot peppers that I grew. We finished all of the squashes today and made tomato sauce and stewed tomatoes yesterday. Tomorrow cukes, and then the next maybe the carrots or the green beans."

Aaron looked surprised, "When did you have the time to grow all of that? How did I not notice? That's amazing! We barely had anything in the garden last summer."

Eric grinned again, "What did you think I was doing here while you were out there with Daryl? I can only fold so much and wash so many dishes before they are all done. Carol helped with the gardening when I couldn't move around very well, so she offered to help with this too after she saw that I was going to use that old book to work with."

"That was kind of her." Aaron was starting to understand why Eric had said they would be eating squash for years. There was a lot. It was good though, useful. As long as they were safe in Alexandria they wouldn't have to worry about eating. "So how does this work? Are we going to have the gardens next summer too? Can I help with those?"

"Sure, I'd like that. We could grow some very different things then too; so we have more variety of canned vegetables." Eric hesitated, "Why are we talking about vegetables when you just got home after being out there for three days?"

Aaron paused, thinking, "Because Carol was here and I was trying to be polite, and you distracted me with food."

"So, you're saying that you are hungry?" Eric moved around the kitchen, moving the jars to create some open space on the counters. "I could make dinner."

"That's one of the things I'm hungry for, I suppose." Aaron teased, reaching out to slide his hand along Eric's arm as he was passed once again.

Eric rolled his eyes, "Charming." He smiled though and caught Aaron's hand as he finished moving the jars. "Go, get cleaned up and I'll make dinner. We can talk about the other things you are hungry for after that."


	144. Delivery

Carol stirred the eggs as they continued to fry. Technically they were scrambled with just a little salt, pepper and the fresh basil that Daryl had found in the back garden of the abandoned farmhouse. She only trusted herbs that he found; even her own gardening experience didn't make her feel very confident without asking for confirmation. She offered some of the finished eggs to Glenn and he smiled at her before sitting nearby. When everyone had some food she sat and took what was left.

"You should eat more than that. You were up and working at dawn, and you'll probably be working around here all day." Daryl jostled her arm a little as he sat next to her.

Carol shrugged, "I get enough."

"Yeah, right. I don't believe that for a second." He offered her a small bag. "I found some dried fruit on the last run, thought you might like some. Get some vitamins, or something like that."

She hesitated for a few seconds before accepting the bag, "Thank you. You could probably use more fruit in your diet too, you know."

"Whatever, just eat your breakfast." He smirked at her and nudged her arm again.

Carl rolled his eyes at the two of them, but turned to his father. "I miss fast-food. I always tried to convince mom to let us go through the drive-thru on the way to school, instead of having cereal, but she never agreed."

"Good, that stuff was bad for you." Rick smiled and reached over to ruffle Carl's hair, but missed when the boy pulled away.

"Maybe, but it tasted good." He was almost done with his eggs, and though he appreciated the food he wasn't a big fan of eggs that came in powdered form.

"I miss take-out. Calling for something when I was too tired to go out and get it for myself, or to cook." Maggie grinned, and poked Glenn.

Daryl caught her movement and laughed, "Glenn, didn't you say you were in pizza delivery before all of this?"

Glenn looked around at the group of people who were all looking at him now, the people he considered friends and family. He flipped off Daryl, who laughed. "I am not going to go out and get you a pizza, so don't even ask."


	145. Threaten

Aaron usually didn't have the time or the interest in talking to Olivia, which was one of the reasons that Eric was the one who picked up supplies for the household. However, Eric was busy and they needed a few things before the next day so he had decided that it was his turn to do something about it and he went to get those things. It didn't take long for him to remember why he wanted to avoid the woman. It wasn't that she was unpleasant or rude, it was just that she gossiped about everyone in the community and most of what she talked about was more information than he ever wanted to know about his neighbors.

Until she said something that caught his attention, "Wait, what did you say about Winters?"

She had to think back over her last comments, nodding to herself as she reviewed her words. "Oh, he was just complaining that Carol had threatened him over Eric."

Aaron frowned, shaking his head slightly, "Why would Carol threaten him? And how was Eric involved?" Eric hadn't mentioned anything to him about their neighbors, and he had thought that was a good thing since some of them tended to be more conservative and judgmental. He knew there had been troubles with a few of them before, but Eric had always told him about those incidents.

Olivia shrugged and continued writing her notes about the items he had come to pick up, "I'm not really sure, he just said something about Eric having someone else to protect him when you were gone." She frowned, "Only not so polite, if you know what I mean."

"I know exactly what you mean." He accepted the small bag of supplies from her and signed her forms, "Thanks, Olivia. I guess you'll see Eric in a couple days for whatever else we need."

"Going out again so soon?" She glanced up at him for a moment and Aaron wondered what she would be telling the next resident about his plans.

He nodded though, confirming, "Yeah, we have to stay watchful now."

"Well, stay safe." That was uncharacteristically warm for her and she smiled at him before turning to the next person who needed her help. He took the opportunity to leave the small supply depot and started thinking about what she had said.

Winters was a jackass, and they had come close to a fist-fight once when they had been new neighbors, but the man had seemed to be staying on his own side of the fence since then. Aaron didn't like the idea that the man might have been causing trouble for Eric when he wasn't there; that maybe the man had seen it as an opportunity to push his bigoted agenda knowing that Eric was alone, injured and more vulnerable.

He stopped short in the middle of the sidewalk, ignoring the few other people around him even though they had to start walking around him. Was Eric hiding this from him? He didn't like that idea; they had always been honest with each other. It was one of the things he had always counted upon in their relationship, and it felt bad to think that something like this might be hidden from him on purpose. If someone was hurting Eric he needed to know about it.

Aaron started walking again, his steps a little faster on the way home than they had been on his way to get the supplies. Whatever was going on, he was going to find out what it was when he got home.


	146. Compliment

"I see dead people. They don't know they're dead." Eugene delivered the line with a very serious expression, and then pouted when Tara punched him in the shoulder.

"I swear to Thor, if you start quoting that movie again I am going to hurt you." She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

Eugene continued to pout while he rubbed his shoulder, "Going to? You just did. Ow. Who taught you how to punch like a freight train?"

Tara laughed, "I'll take that as a compliment, and it was my dad. He thought that every girl should know how to protect herself. Lots of creeps in the world, you know, and now even more so." She shrugged, "I'd apologize, but you seem intent on pushing my every button today. See dead people? Really?"

"Well, it is true. We are, on occasion, surrounded by dead people, and they are not aware of their dead status." He gave her a small smile, "If I can't find connections to popular culture, what will I do with myself?"

"Not drive me crazy?" Tara snorted, "I guess I don't know. I make so many myself, you know? We need new hobbies, but where are we going to find one in this place?"

"Don't worry, Tara, this Fellowship will survive our quest." He frowned, "Sorry. That was weak. I need to work on that one a little more."

"Yeah, I think you do, Gandalf. Why don't you go bother Frodo over there," she pointed at Carl, "and I'll talk to Merry and Pippin for a bit." She gestured toward Maggie and Glenn.

He started to nod and then stopped to squint at her. "Who does that make you?"

"I don't get to be anyone. Rick is obviously Aragorn, and Daryl is Legolas, and Carol would have to be Boromir. I am not Gimli and don't say it or I'll punch you again. I guess I'll just have to be someone outside the fellowship, like Eowyn. I could totally be like Eowyn."

Eugene laughed, "Alright, though I think Michonne is probably Eowyn."

"Nope, Michonne would be Galadriel. She's too powerful to be anyone else." Tara gave him the side-eye, "I could have said you were Gimli instead of Gandalf, so don't push me on who I want to be."

He held up his hands, "Okay, I give. I'll go bother Frodo now." Eugene laughed and backed away from her for a step before turning to walk toward Carl and the others.


	147. Tomorrow

"Carol!" He shouted as soon as he saw her crossing his yard, leaving the house and probably heading for her own. She looked up and waved when she saw him and turned to walk toward him.

"We finished with the canning, so I was about to head for home to make dinner for the crew." She held up a hand to shield her eyes from the sun. "Did you need anything?"

"Yes. I need the truth about something." Aaron shifted the bag to his other hand and pointed at the neighbor's house, "About Winters; Olivia said that he was complaining about something the other day. Did you threaten him?"

She looked at him for a long moment, her face completely blank, and he wondered how he had never seen this side of her when he was watching Rick's people out on the road. She was cold inside in a way that scared and worried him sometimes, but he knew that she honestly cared about Eric and that she protected people she cared about. "I did. He needed it."

"Because he did something to Eric? Olivia mentioned that too, but she didn't have details." Aaron looked toward his home, in case Eric had noticed that he was back and chatting in the yard. The windows were all clear though, so they had a little more time.

Carol looked back at the house too, and then glanced at the fence separating the yards. "He doesn't want you to know about this. Now that you do, I'm not sure if I should be the one to give those details. I don't even know all of them myself, just enough to know that Eric has been upset about it and Winters is a coward who needed to be reminded that there are those who are stronger than he is and who will do something about him if he causes problems."

Aaron frowned, "Stronger? You're going to beat him up?"

She tipped her head to the side, giving him a look that seemed reserved for small children and those who were a bit slow mentally, "You don't have to be physically stronger to harm someone, just mentally prepared for it. I've found that there are a lot of things that I am willing to do, and that makes me stronger than someone who flinches from those tasks." She hesitated slightly, "You are strong in that way too, and so is Eric when he is willing to admit that to himself. But right now? He's more willing to take the abuse to spare you from it."

"So it is abuse." Aaron nodded, "I thought that it might be."

"Every form of abuse can cause pain and suffering. I don't think Winters has ever crossed that fence, but even cowardly bullies get brave sometimes." She shrugged, "Now that you know something is happening, maybe you should ask Eric about it."

He nodded again, "I will. I should let you go."

Carol smirked, "Don't fool yourself, you wouldn't be able to stop me." She shook her head, glancing back at the house again before walking away.

Eric was still in the kitchen, putting the last of the jars into their pantry, and he accepted the small bag of supplies without a word. He put those things away as well, before getting a cup of tea and sitting at the breakfast nook. "I don't even want to look at another carrot for a month."

"Well, we have plenty of other things to eat I guess." Aaron helped himself to a cup of coffee, and sat down across the table from Eric. "Olivia was chatty."

"She always is. Anything interesting happening in our little community?" Eric didn't seem to have a clue about what she might have told him, and Aaron tried to find the right words to relay her gossip.

"She said something about you actually." He blew on the coffee, even though it wasn't going to cool any time soon. "Something about you and Carol."

Eric grinned, "Are they saying that we're having a torrid affair? Because you know that isn't true."

"No, it was more like, Carol was defending you from Mr. Winters and he was complaining about it to anyone who would listen." Aaron glanced up at Eric, "I didn't know that you needed defending from him."

"I-." Eric stopped and fidgeted. "I didn't want you to know."

"Obviously, but now I do know. Or at least I know that there is something that you should be telling me. I'd like you to do that now. Please." He winced, not liking how harsh he sounded.

Eric shrugged, "There isn't much to tell. It isn't hard to guess what I worry about, and he just says those things out loud. Add a couple insults and that's all there is to it."

"But it was enough for Carol to threaten him? It upset you enough to piss her off, and for her to call it abuse." Aaron set his coffee cup aside and took one of Eric's hands, "I know that you've always said that you can take care of yourself, and I know you can. I know that you've also said that you don't want me to fight your battles for you, but it isn't the same thing when you refuse to fight for yourself. He's hurting you; whatever he is saying is hurting you. I can't just let that go and hope he'll stop because Carol told him to stop."

"I know." Eric squeezed his hand, but stared at the table top. "I just don't want trouble, and I didn't want you to worry about me when you should be focused on your own safety out there."

"I would worry no matter what. This just makes it worse because he could have done something and I wouldn't have had a clue until it was too late."

Eric frowned, "I doubt he is going to do anything drastic. So far all he's done is talk, and I can leave the yard. I do leave the yard when he starts talking and he's never followed me."

"Yet. That kind of thing can change, quickly. You know that. We've both had friends who had to deal with assaults." Aaron sighed, "For some reason I thought that things might actually have gotten better for us. It seemed like people had gotten over some of the sexism and racism, and I thought that homophobia might be a thing of the past too. Wishful thinking. Will you tell me what he said?"

"Would it make a difference to know the specifics?" Eric sipped his tea and fidgeted again, "I don't want to repeat the things he said."

"Alright, but I am going to talk to him. Tomorrow."


	148. Pale

Carol watched as Eric made his way out from the back hallway. He was pale and seemed shaky, when moments before he had been laughing and having a good time at their little house warming party. She reached out to touch his arm as he got close, "Are you okay?"

"I have to go home. I can't stay." He wouldn't look at her directly, "I'm sorry, I just have to get out of here."

His voice was softer than it normally was, and he seemed hesitant, though Carol wasn't sure why. "Alright. Do you want me to walk over there with you?"

He shook his head, "No, but thank you. I just need some time alone." She let go of him and he left quietly.

Carol hoped that he was going to be alright, but she put it out of her head so she could focus on what was happening in her home. They had invited a lot of people, wanting to be neighborly now that they had really moved into the two houses they had been given. She was unofficial hostess, and there was a lot taking her attention.

"Have you seen Eric?" Aaron cornered her in the kitchen more than an hour later and she had to think for a few moments.

"He went home a while ago. I don't think he was feeling well. Didn't he tell you? I thought that he had gone to find you just before he left." Carol paused in handing out drinks and looked at Aaron for a moment, "Maybe he couldn't find you. I think he was in the back, near the first floor bedrooms."

She didn't understand why he paled, but she was distracted again before she questioned it. "Oh. I guess I didn't notice him then. Thanks, Carol, I think I'll head home now too. Thanks for inviting us." He had a very bad feeling suddenly, and leaned against the wall for a moment when he felt a little sick. When he caught his bearings he went directly home though, taking a route that crossed yards instead of walking around the blocks.

The house was dark when he got home, and that worried him. For a moment he hoped that it was just a headache, or that Eric was coming down with something simple like a cold, but that bad feeling persisted. He found Eric sitting on the floor of their bedroom, sorting through his clothes. He was pale and his eyes were red, and it looked as though he had emptied all of his things from the dresser.

"What are you doing?" Aaron sat on the edge of their bed, looking at the piles of clothing with worry.

"Packing." Eric's voice hitched and he sniffled, "You were going to ask me to leave, weren't you?"

Aaron felt faint again, "What? Why would I do that?"

"I saw you with him. At his house." Eric didn't look up, his fingers moving over the fabric of one of his shirts, "I was looking for you and I found you with him."

"Eric, I am so sorry. It wasn't what you think. I swear." Aaron tried to reach out, but the gesture was ignored.

Eric shook his head, "It's okay. You don't love me anymore. I understand." He flinched at his own words, and his hand clenched on his shirt, messing it up. He was still looking away from Aaron, but he stayed in place as Aaron got up from the bed and knelt next to him on the floor.

"No." Aaron reached out, taking Eric by the shoulders, "If you think that I don't love you, you really don't understand anything." He took a deep breath, "I didn't want to do it like this. I had hoped for a happy moment, a celebration or a good day. Something that we would want to remember."

Eric frowned, glancing up at Aaron in confusion. "Do what?"

"What you saw me doing with Daryl? He was just helping me practice because I didn't want to sound like an idiot, not that he was much help. He laughed at me more than helping." Aaron let go of Eric's shoulders and took his hands instead, holding them firmly. "Eric Raleigh, will you marry me?"

Eric blinked, leaning back slightly, "What?"

"Not exactly the answer I was hoping for." Aaron squeezed Eric's hands, "I know we've been together for a long time, and we could have done this before. Maybe marriage doesn't even mean the same thing anymore; anyone can claim the status without any ceremony, but I was hoping that maybe you'd want the ceremony. With me. Would you?"

"Yes." It was whispered and Eric still looked as though he were unsure of what was going on so Aaron leaned forward and kissed his forehead.

"I am so sorry about what you saw. I never thought that it would hurt you, or that you would see it." He closed his eyes and imagined Eric coming home, thinking that he wasn't loved and sitting in the dark, packing his things, and let the feeling wash over him. "I would never want to make you feel like that."

He slowly let go of Eric's hands and stood before offering to help his boyfriend up off the floor. "Come on, let's get your things put away, and then we should talk some more about this."


	149. Today

"I don't want you to do this." Eric was nervous and upset, and Aaron could imagine him wringing his hands over the situation, but instead he was completely still. His disapproval was often shown through a lack of expression or action, but Aaron was familiar with the signs anyway.

He sighed and turned back toward Eric, "I know, and to be honest I don't want to do this either. We can't let this go on though. If we don't say something today it will just happen again, regardless of what Carol might have threatened him with."

"Maybe we should have asked Carol to be back-up. Or Rick; get whatever law there is to be present just in case."

Aaron looked up to the sky for a moment and took a deep breath, "You don't think I can do this?"

"I think that you can do this, but I also think that he might have a gun. Going into his yard isn't a good idea. Knocking on his door is even worse." Eric stepped forward onto the porch, closing their front door behind himself. "What are you going to say to him?"

That made him pause, "I'm not sure. Not exactly. Do you want to come over there with me?" He could see that Winters was in his yard, tending a garden plot. It was close enough to the fence that they wouldn't have to leave their own yard if they didn't want to.

Eric didn't respond and Aaron turned to look at him again, reaching out to take his hand. "I don't want you to feel like I'm being overprotective, or that I'm treating you as though you can't take care of yourself. I just don't want him to talk to you like that ever again."

"I know, I just don't like this. We're not confrontational, you know?" Eric's brow knit and he frowned down at their hands, "This feels wrong."

Aaron knew what he meant, they were negotiators and observers from their work before the world fell apart and now as recruiters for Alexandria. He was nervous about talking to Winters too, not knowing what to say. He took a deep breath, "It isn't going to get any easier if we put it off though."

Eric let go of his hand, "I think I'd rather stay here. I still wish someone else was here with us though."

"We can't let others fight our battles anymore." Aaron nodded, "Stay in sight?" He took another deep breath and started down the steps and across the yard. Winters didn't even look up until Aaron was standing next to the fence that separated their yards, and then he only glanced up and back to his gardening.

"Mr. Winters, could I speak to you for a moment?" Aaron waited until Winters nodded and stood to face him. "I don't know what Carol said to you, but I've heard that you've been harassing Eric while I've been working."

Winters stared at him, his eyes narrowing and jaw clenching, but he didn't say anything. He glanced to the porch where Eric was standing in sight.

"We're supposed to be neighbors, people used to think that meant something. Even if it didn't mean friendliness, it usually meant civility. All I want is for you to leave us alone; together or separately. I don't think that there is any reason for you to talk to Eric again." There was a loud rumbling behind him and Winters looked over his shoulder. He didn't have to turn to know that Daryl had come by on the motorcycle.

"More people to threaten me?" Winters looked at him blankly, "I won't talk to your boyfriend again, but civility can hide a lot. Nothing will really change." He turned away, going back to his gardening and Aaron stood there for another moment, feeling as though the short conversation had been rather pointless.


	150. Surreal

There was no room to roll over, they were all piled together so closely, and Daryl marveled at how he fit into this group. There had never been a point in his life where he had people so close to him; they were closer than his blood relative had ever been, treated him a hell of a lot better. They actually treated him with respect and before the world had fallen to shit he was sure that he had never had that from anyone.

Carol shifted slightly, next to him, her arm tightening against his side. He had never been touched by so many people either. Touch was something had had learned to avoid as a child. It usually led to pain and rejection, or humiliation. These people reached out to him constantly, hugging him, slapping his shoulder, grabbing onto his arm or hand with such perfect trust in him.

He wasn't sure what to make of it sometimes; the world seemed more upside down than ever when he found himself doing the opposite of what Merle had always nagged him about. He partnered with a strong black woman, was practically a brother to a man of Korean decent, and even had friends who were gay. Merle would have had a stroke. Daryl snickered, and then quieted down immediately as he saw Tara twitch. He got along with the girl but he didn't need her to wake up and want to start a conversation in the middle of the night.

He heard Abraham start snoring on the other side of the room and had to stifle laughter again. It had been a long day, and he knew he should be tired enough to sleep again, but for some reason everything was striking him as surreal. Carol's arm tightened on him again, as though he were her teddy bear to hug, and that thought was just too much, he giggled. If she woke up now he was never going to hear the end of it, "Daryl Dixon giggles?" He couldn't stop it though.

"Daryl?" Rick's whisper cut through the room, three people down from his spot, and he sobered almost immediately. "Do I need to have a talk with those omen about tickling you while we're all trying to sleep?"


	151. Caring

Carol smirked, nudging Tara with her arm. "I'm happy for them, you know, but I sorta miss being able to do that myself." She and Tara both looked over to where Glenn and Maggie were kissing, unconcerned that other people were around.

"Yeah, it's been a while for me too." Tara shrugged, "I try not to think about it."

"I didn't think about it for a long time after my husband died. Before, actually, because I didn't exactly want to kiss him." She ignored the look Tara gave her and continued, "I miss that feeling though, of being in love? I don't think I'm capable of that anymore."

Tara frowned, "Why not?"

"Too practical I guess. Everyone dies." Carol turned away slightly, not wanting to watch Glenn and Maggie's goodbye any longer. "Caring about people too much makes you weak, but it's hard not to care."

"That sounds depressing." Tara turned to Carol and touched her arm, "I know you care about all of us. You're always watching over us, feeding us, making sure we're safe and comfortable. Not to mention what you did at Terminus. You saved us all. You deserve to be happy and have someone care for you just as much."

Carol shook her head, "I learned a long time ago that life doesn't work that way. Caring for someone doesn't obligate them to return the sentiment."

"No, not obligates, but it does sometimes inspire the feeling anyway." Tara gave Carol a small smile, "I'm not hitting on you, by the way, but I think there are people in our little family who would if given a chance and a little encouragement."

"Maybe that's why I don't give them any encouragement." Carol looked at Tara for a few moments, "It's better this way, for them." She waited until Tara dropped her hand from her arm, and then walked slowly back to the house. There was always something that needed to be done, and she wanted to be busy.


	152. Inevitable

The home looked perfect, which is why Carol didn't trust it. Everything in her wanted to see what was really underneath this neat, calm exterior, and she frowned up at the front of the home as though it might suddenly divulge its secrets.

"Don't like the color? Everything is a little bland around here, I suppose." Eric's voice startled her and she turned with a small jump. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." He held up his hands as though to ward her off.

"It's hard to get used to, not needing to be so jumpy." Carol shrugged, "The color is fine. The house is just one more thing to get used to. I can't remember the last time we stayed anywhere for more than a night, it's been a while."

She glanced at him again, wondering. It was her part of the group that had found him after he used his flare gun, and they helped get him out from beneath that rusted up car. He was certainly looking better now that he had medical care and rest. "Can I help you with something? Shouldn't you be staying off that ankle for a while yet?"

He shrugged, "It wasn't far to walk. We're just four houses down that way." He pointed down the block, "Aaron went out to hunt for a while, and asked if I would stop by and see how you were all settling in. We feel a little responsible since we're the ones who brought you in."

"Are you responsible for us?" Carol frowned, "What happens if you bring in someone who doesn't fit? Aaron said that we were supposed to audition, but has anyone ever failed?"

Eric looked thoughtful for a moment, "We had a few people who didn't fit in a while back; caused trouble for the rest of the community. Deanna sent them away."

She nodded, "Well, we hope we fit in. It's nice here, peaceful in a way that we haven't seen in a long time. I wouldn't want to have trouble if we have a period of adjustment."

"I think that everyone here would recognize that it's inevitable for there to be adjustment. For us too; you bring in new ideas on how to survive. It's one of the reasons we wanted to recruit your group. You know how to get by out there, and the people here? Most don't. Most don't even understand why Aaron and I made certain requests for supplies when we'd be out on the road for days." He shaded his eyes and looked back down the road, toward the wall. "Most of the people here wouldn't live for very long without those walls, and their unwillingness to change is just as thick as that steel."

"You want us to help get through to them; show them that they have to change if they want to live." Carol nodded. "I think that might be inevitable. We can't afford to get weak, no matter how safe this place seems."

"Good. Aaron and I have worried for a long time. We even thought about leaving on our own for a while." Eric frowned, "We see so many Roamers out there and somehow they never seem to mass at our walls, not in the numbers we've seen on the road. They have to be going somewhere. One day it will be here and there won't be any place to run."

Carol's eyes narrowed and she regarded him with a little more respect. "You have given this some thought." She glanced down the street, "With your injury, it can't be easy getting around and taking care of things at your house. How about I walk back there with you, and help? We can talk more there, where no one else will wander by and hear."


	153. Faded

The petals of the Cherokee rose hadn't faded since Daryl had given it to her days before. It sat, alone, in the small glass that Dale had in one of the RV cabinets, and she stared at it for far too long, losing herself in her thoughts. It had all been for nothing; all of her fears and the searching that Daryl had done. Shane and Rick had dragged their feet on searching for her little girl, not because they knew anything that she didn't but because she wasn't one of theirs. She wasn't Daryl's either, but he still went out and did something about her.

Carol shook her head, wiping the tears from her cheek. There was no use in crying, everything was done now. She just had to gather whatever remained of her strength and move on. Keep living, even if there wasn't anything to live for anymore. She saw that in Andrea sometimes, and knew that the younger woman had wanted to die after losing her sister. She had been right; wouldn't it be better to die cleanly than to be ripped apart and eaten by those things?

The door to the RV creaked open and she looked up, not sure who would be coming in at this time. Dale would still be up top, on watch, and the others were gathering for the funeral for Hershel's family, and for her Sophia. Daryl stood in the opened doorway, squinting at her.

"They're gonna start." He waited until she was looking up at him, "Want me to go with you?"

Carol nodded, not trusting herself to speak, and held out a hand to him. He took it without hesitation and helped her to her feet, tugging her behind him as they left the vehicle. "It won't always be like this, you know."

"I know, they say that things will get better after time passes." Carol took a deep breath and he stopped to look at her.

"No, it doesn't get better. It just gets less painful because as time passes too many other things take its place. Some good, some bad." He shrugged, "It just happens, but you don't have to deal with it alone."


	154. Saved

"How the hell did you know how to do that? Blow the whole damn place up?" Daryl looked at her like she were a comic book hero come to life and she laughed to relive some of the tension that had started to grow. "Seriously, it was spooky timing too. They were about to kill us."

Carol shrugged, "Watched too many cartoons as a kid I guess." She squeaked as he wrapped her into a tight embrace again, "People are going to start talking if you keep grabbing me like that."

"Let them. I've seen too much to care." He let her go though, glancing back at the rest of the group. Everyone was still sorting themselves out, trying to determine what they had and what they might want to start looking for. Food was at the top of everyone's list, he was sure, and having the crossbow back was going to make that one thing that he could actually accomplish.

He couldn't stop himself from looking back to Carol though. "You saved us. I can see what happened when you were out there with Tyreese and Judith. You saved them too, didn't you?"

Carol suddenly looked solemn. "Not all of them. Lizzie and Mika were with him when I first found them. He didn't know what Rick had done to me, he just thought that it was lucky to cross paths." She hesitated and then looked him in the eyes, "I told Tyreese about what I did, back at the prison. It was after we lost Lizzie and her sister. He could have done something, but he chose not to. I gave him the gun, and he forgave me instead."

Daryl looked at her and then back at Tyreese. The man was holding the baby as Rick and Carl sorted through their pockets and the few things they pulled out with them while leaving Terminus. He didn't feel like joking around anymore. "You did what you felt was right. We've all been in that position before. Some of us just get more free passes."

She followed his gaze toward Rick and Carl and reached out to touch his arm, "Maybe, but that's the past. We have to move on, together. Rick seems to have forgiven me too, if that hug was anything to go by, and that was before he knew we had Judith. We're all alive, together, and are even stronger with the people you managed to pick up along the way to Terminus. We'll survive."

Daryl shook his head in disbelief, still frowning, "I can't believe you saved us. I didn't think that I'd ever see you again, and if you ever let someone push you away like that again, there will be more than words about it. I'll be going with you."

"Daryl, they need you." Carol found her hand straying to her knife, her small pack, as though reassuring herself that it was all still there.

"They need you too, even if they don't always remember that. I need you here with us. You'd better not forget that." Daryl took her arm again, "Come on, you should get some water before it's all gone."


	155. Green

There were a few broken planes of glass, but otherwise the old greenhouse seemed to be in good shape. Carol could see that whatever was growing inside had gone wild without anyone to tend it and there was green pressing against the walls and the glass roof. It made her extra careful when she opened the door, and Glenn covered her in case there was a walker inside attracted to the grinding noise.

They waited, hearing rustling inside, but the walker that approached the door was covered in vines and was easily dispatched. Glenn helped her pull the dead thing out from the doorway, and they cut through some more of the vines before entering. They still were careful in case other walkers were stuck in the plants, but the small building was cleared.

"Anything we can use?" Glenn poked at a few of the pots, not sure what was growing in any of them.

Carol was surveying the collection, looking at the tools stacked against the bench in one corner. "I think so. Seed packets, tools, some potting soil that is still in the bags. We might be able to take a few of those plants with us too and use cuttings or transplant them into the prison yard. Maybe even just add them to the cell blocks for some color."

That sounds like a good idea. Break up the grey cement, bring flowers into the living spaces." He shrugged, "What should I carry out first?"

"Let's clear a path first, so it'll go quicker." She lifted a rake and started pulled at some of the longer vines, moving them to the ground.

He nodded and followed her lead, "I hope this is a good start."

"It will be, we just need to get things in the ground and pretty soon, we might actually be able to feed ourselves without searching for scraps."


	156. Counter

As soon as he opened the front door he could hear Eric's voice, but there was no other voice answering him. Just the steady tone that Eric had when he was speaking calmly. It took a few moments for Aaron to get his jacket off and to hang it in the closet, and then he went searching to see where Eric was and who he was with.

He stopped at the corner to the kitchen, and sighed. There was a fluffy orange cat on the kitchen counter, laying in a spot of sunlight, and Eric was petting it. "I thought that we weren't going to let the cat sit on the counter?"

Eric turned to smile at him, "She isn't sitting; she is laying down. Aren't you Marmalade?" He stopped petting the cat and Aaron saw that he had a book in his other hand, which was now set aside.

"Were you reading to your cat?" Aaron stepped closer, reaching out to pet the cat as well. He shook his head, laughing, "You spoil her."

"Maybe. It's hard not to when she keeps giving me that look." Eric grinned, "The one that you give me so often. I've been conditioned to respond."

"Alright, but I still think she should stay off the counter. We don't need litter in our food." His tone belaying any impatience, he continued petting the cat and she purred at him before squinting her green eyes up at him.

"That means she loves you, you know. Olivia was telling me about cat behaviors and how to read their body language."

Aaron paused and looked over at Eric, skeptically, "Oh really? And what does it mean when a human does the same thing?"

"That I should get the cat off the counter?" Eric laughed, scooping up the cat before she had a chance to protest and deposited her on the floor. She gave them both a dirty look over her shoulder and sauntered out of the room. "She does know how to make an exit."


	157. Alive

There were no funerals any more. Not since they buried Hershel's family and her daughter on the farm. They had lost people since then, and buried them too, but there was no ceremony. There was no time, no energy, and it all seemed so pointless. Carol plucked a few of the wildflowers that grew near the fences at the top of the yard. There were graves out there that she wanted to visit, but not because anyone expected grand speeches or declarations of grief. She just missed her friends.

The yard was mostly empty at this time of day, though Rick was starting his gardening and Daryl was checking the saddlebags on his motorcycle in anticipation of another run. She waved when they saw her, but continued on her way to the small grave site. They really hadn't planned it very well; sooner or later any gardening would be blocked by it and she didn't even want to suggest moving them now. No one needed to see friends or family like that, not when they were surrounded by so much decay already.

Carol stopped and knelt near the edge, laying a couple of the flowers on T-Dog's grave. There wasn't much of him to bury, but she was the most grateful to him. He had saved her life. He had known that it was already too late for himself after being bitten, but he put himself through so much more just so she could get away. It showed a strength in him that they had rarely given him credit for. She hoped that in the same circumstances she would have found the courage to do the same for one of her people, but she also hoped that she would never be put to that test.

She scooted over a little, not minding the grass stains on her knees, and put most of the other flowers on Lori's grave. There wasn't anything left of her when Rick had gone to look, but Carl had insisted on burying one of her favorite outfits, her hairbrush and a necklace that she sometimes carried in her pocket. It was personal enough even if it was symbolic. It made Carl feel better that there was a spot he could go and talk to his mother. Carol saw him out in the yard, his hands on top of the grass and talking, probably telling his mother about Judith and how they were surviving. Poor Lori, she never got to know what a perfect baby she had sacrificed herself to save.

The third grave that Carol held a few remaining flowers for was Axel's. He didn't know he was saving her, but when he was killed it absolutely saved her life. That shot could have taken her life just as easily, just as suddenly. He had been a decent sort, even if he had been a prisoner before the world fell apart. He was less violent than her late-husband, certainly, and had a better sense of humor. There would never have been anything more than friendship between them, but she was starting to enjoy his company when they worked around the prison yard and she did miss the chance to get him, and Oscar, into their group.

She stood slowly, favoring her joints a little as the cold ground was not kind to aging people, and faced the sun. It was rising finally, giving more than just pale shadows, and she shielded her eyes as Daryl approached. "Want to come out with me on a run? We can take the bike."

Carol grinned, "You want me to sit behind you on your motorcycle and wrap my arms around you? Sure, I can do that." She laughed, feeling as though she were fully alive for the first time that morning.

He shook his head, blushing, "Stop, I just thought that you might like to get out of here for a while."

"I'd love to, Daryl, thank you for asking."


	158. Sense

She shivered and tugged her jacket around herself a little more tightly. It didn't help, and she rubbed her hands together before shoving them into her pockets. They all needed warmer clothing now that fall was turning into winter, but the stores they had been able to scavenge from didn't have supplies for winter.

Rick noticed Carol's shivering, he was doing the same, "We need a clothing run, don't we?"

Carol nodded, "I've been thinking about that. It might make more sense to do a neighborhood tour; check closets for coats, gloves, scarves, and warmer shirts and pants. Whatever we find might be useful to someone."

"Yeah, we should be doing that; going to all of the nearby housing developments and checking them for whatever we can use. Clear the houses with a team, grab what we can and stockpile." Daryl never looked cold, but he was wearing sleeves. That was just as telling.

Rick looked over the group, noting that several looked cold, "The Sheriff's Department used to have a protocol for marking houses that are cleared after a disaster. We could mark each house we clear and it might be a good reference for later, since we went in circles for so long before finding this place."

The prison offered some security, but cement and bars did little to keep them warm. Body heat was leeched away, and the thin blankets didn't help. "If we're going to stay here for a while we should start collecting everything we can use before we need it, before it is too late." Carol snorted, "We can't exactly go to the store for the new seasonal items every few months anymore."

"Maybe we should start making lists, practical lists, of the things we might need. Blankets, jackets, toilet paper, whatever might be in those houses. If we don't get to it, someone else will one day. If the house doesn't burn down in the meantime." Rick was sounding just as pessimistic as Carol felt, but it was a good sign that he was thinking about meeting future needs.

"Good idea." She nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"We'll get a run team to go out as soon as we have a plan together." He looked to Glenn, "I have the feeling that you were doing this a lot in Atlanta, so if you have ideas I want to hear them."

Glenn looked toward Maggie before nodding in agreement, "It's just common sense, but yeah, sure."

Rick grinned, "Good, let's get planning then."


	159. Dance

"I'm going to guess that you didn't come here for the dancing." Eric looked Daryl over, smiling when the man snorted and ignored the comment. "Did Carol make you come?" She had been one of the people to set up the whole event, a community party to celebrate surviving the latest danger to face Alexandria.

"Who else?" That didn't sound good; Daryl might do a lot of the things that Carol wanted him to do, but he was starting to sound a little surly.

"Gonna stand in the corner all night?" He wasn't sure why he was here either, when he could be talking to someone a little more animated. Someone willing to contribute a little more to a conversation. Someone who didn't consider a grunt to be a satisfactory response to a question.

Daryl shrugged, "Maybe."

Eric laughed, and Daryl gave him a dirty look. "Sorry, but you look like an angry cat when you do that."

Daryl continued glaring, and missed Aaron's approach. "Alright, now what are the two of you up to this time? Did you tell him about the homebrew that Heath brought?" Aaron turned to catch Daryl's eye, "He makes craft beer. It's pretty good."

"I hadn't gotten that far. I was hoping to break through the scowl first." Eric smirked, "But Grumpy was not cooperating."

Daryl shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment, "Not grumpy, just don't like parties."

"I could go get Carol. She looked bored too. I think that she's been smiling too much and she could use some of your attitude to combat it." Eric waved to Carol and she started walking over, "You could ask her to dance."

"I don't dance." Daryl crossed his arms over his chest. "Why don't the two of you go dance, and leave me alone."

Aaron grinned, but he took Eric's arm and started leading him away, "Be nice. We'll bring you a beer later."

Carol arrived at his side just as they reached the other side of the tables. "I thought they wanted something. You okay?"

Daryl grunted, "I don't know why I let you talk me into coming to this thing."

"Well, if it's so horrible, you could always leave." She shrugged, watching the few couples on the dance "floor" that was between the food and the tables.

He looked at her for a few moments, trying to read her body language to see if she was being serious, or if she was being flippant. "You could come with me."

"Not after I helped organize this thing. Everyone seems to have to come to me with all of their problems." She frowned, "I don't know how much longer I can keep up this act."

"Then don't. It's ridiculous." He jerked his chin toward the people milling around the tables, "If we're here for the long haul, they need to know you are capable of doing more than coordinating outfits and baking casseroles. What's to gain from the helpless act?"

She shrugged, "True, and it does get boring. I just have so much practice at it, even before all of this happened. When people think you are weak they don't look too hard."

"But these people need you to be strong." Daryl turned away from the party, staring down at her intently, "There are too many weak people here. They need to know that anyone can be strong. Anyone can change. Anyone can defy their stupid rules and that they can't just look at someone and know anything about them anymore."

She returned his intense regard, "Someone said something to you about the vest again, didn't they?"

"Nah, just the same looks. You know I don't like parties." He shrugged and she grabbed his arm.

"Alright, come and sit with me at a table. Have a drink, eat a little, and after that you can go home and I will never nag you to come to another community event, ever." She ignored his sudden grin, "I'll even walk home with you and that will be my excuse if anyone asks why I left early."


	160. Fault

After Denise asked them to leave the clinic he wasn't sure where to go at first. The attack on Alexandria seemed to be mostly over, and he wanted to find Aaron. There were a few more gun shots, but he moved carefully, staying near the houses instead of the sidewalks, and looked down each block as much as he could before moving forward. There were so many bodies, some of which were in such a state that he wasn't sure what to think, while others were merely shot. The whole community was a mess, and it felt as though everything he had thought was safe was suddenly tossed up in the air and was still falling back down.

Eric spotted Aaron sitting on the steps in front of one of the houses, staring at whatever he was holding. He was splattered with blood and Eric hurried to get to him, while trying not to startle him. He looked as though he might be in shock. "Aaron? Are you alright?"

There was no response at first, and then a slow shake of his head. "This is my fault." He looked up at Eric then, as though surprised to find he wasn't alone any longer. "I thought that you were going to stay at the clinic."

"Holly died. Denise tried to save her, but it just didn't work. She wanted to be alone for a while." Eric sat down on the steps next to Aaron, trying to see what he was holding. "Are you okay? Were you injured? There's so much blood."

Aaron took a few seconds, as though having trouble processing what Eric had said, again. "I'm not hurt. Not my blood." He shoved the papers he had been holding at Eric and waited until they were taken from him.

"They had these?" Eric flipped through the photographs. He knew them as well as Aaron did, having seen them many times while on the recruiting runs they had been on together. "How?"

"When Daryl and I were caught in that trap, I dropped my bag." He started to raise a hand, to rub his eyes and stopped, not wanting to smear the blood splatters. "The walkers in that trap were marked like these people were, with a 'W' on their foreheads. I guess we know who set the trap, and I let them find us."

"No." Eric set the pictures aside. "You were in danger, caught in a trap that would have killed you had Morgan not come along when he did. That they found the bag, and managed to connect the pictures to this place? Not your fault. If someone had managed to find the car we lost, and there was enough evidence of Alexandria in it, would that be our fault?"

Aaron shrugged, "Maybe."

"No. We leave signs every time we go out. There are people out there who could be watching any of the run teams; could follow them back here any time or just happen upon our walls by chance. This wasn't your fault." He didn't like the way that Aaron seemed to be shutting down. "Is it safe to go home?"

"I don't know." Aaron looked up again, picking the pictures up from the step and shoving them back into the small surplus Army bag. "We should see where everyone else is. I haven't seen Deanna. I should tell her about this."

Eric stood, carefully, and glanced around the block to see if there was anything moving, "Wait. If you want to tell her later, okay, but not right now when people are freaking out. I know this isn't your fault, but I don't trust some of our neighbors. If they've survived." He frowned, not liking the way that sounded, and hating the way it made him feel for saying it, but Aaron nodded and took his hand before shakily standing. "Which direction?"

"Toward the wall I think." He hesitated, squeezing Eric's hand before letting go, "We still have to be careful. There might be more of them hiding or in the houses."


	161. Down

Every day she told herself to just keep her head down, her mouth shut and to do whatever chores that she could find to prove that she was useful to the group. If they happened to get her out of the tent and away from Ed, all the better. Especially if she could get Sophia to help her, or if Lori was willing to watch the girl while watching over her own son. Carol sighed, looking back at the tent. She dreaded every night, knowing that Ed didn't care that his own daughter was a witness to everything he did to her.

No one else seemed to be blind to his actions, or his words, either and she saw the looks she got from the others in their camp. Not a single one of them did anything to help her though. Lori watched Sophia occasionally, but she was wrapped in her own fear and grief over her husband that she didn't look much further than her new relationship with Shane, and her son. Shane didn't seem to care, retreating into the background anytime something happened that didn't affect him personally. Dale was kind, but he was distant and probably thought of it as none of his business.

The Morales family stayed away too, though she was glad Sophia had found more friends. The Dixon brothers gave her some knowing looks, but they didn't seem to type to get involved in other people's drama, and she could only see their interference ending in violence so that was probably a good thing. Andrea gave her knowing looks, but seemed to blame her for not standing up to Ed, and Amy was oblivious. Glenn wasn't much more than a kid himself, for all his forays into Atlanta, and he just seemed lost when something happened that he didn't have the experience to deal with. Even Jim and Jacqui kept away when Ed was particularly loud.

Carol hunkered down over the laundry again, it was almost ready to bring down to the water to be rinsed, and she was wasting time to draw out the task as long as she could. Ed was nursing a headache in the tent and Sophia was playing with the Morales children, and she just wanted a few moments of peace.

Of course, she knew that she needed Ed to survive in this new world. He was the one who had planned for the end of the world, and had stockpiled weapons and supplies like the MREs they were still eating. That didn't stop her from fantasizing that he was eaten by walkers though. Especially when she was nursing a new black eye or saw him eyeing his daughter in disturbing ways.

That was one of the reasons she was trying to ingratiate herself with the others; cleaning, cooking, watching the other kids for a bit when their parents needed some privacy. Anything to make connections and seem like a team player, to make them want to help her if anything did happen to Ed. Making them want to help her learn to defend herself would be even better, but none of those with the skill seemed inclined to teach anyone yet. Eventually they would have to, but for now she supposed that they liked feeling that everyone was dependent upon them. Until then she just had to keep her wits and stay alive.


	162. Friends

Whenever they were in public together, there seemed to be a carefully constructed boundary separating them from each other. It wasn't always this way, but every time they were around new people in the community, or if they went visiting to Daryl's group, Aaron would carefully keep them separated while they were there. Eric hadn't even noticed it at first, being forced to stay in one spot as to protect his healing ankle. He didn't mind being left on his own as Aaron made small talk across the room. It made some sense back then, but they had fallen into a pattern that was now making him uncomfortable.

He frowned at the plate of food that Aaron had left with him, and set it aside. Glenn and Maggie were sitting nearby on the other sofa, and he watched them for a while. Glenn had an arm around her and they were talking softly, smiling, so clearly in love, and for a moment it hurt to see it displayed so openly. Eric had to look away again before they noticed his regard, and then he knew he had been caught because Carol was staring at him intently before glancing toward Aaron.

She left the room suddenly, and he thought that he was going to get away without having to talk, but she reappeared just as quickly, holding drinks and coming his way. Eric sighed, but there wasn't time to flee before she was sitting next to him and handing him a glass of wine. "You looked as though you needed this."

"Maybe." He took a sip, "But I took some pain meds earlier so I probably shouldn't have the whole glass."

She nodded and turned slightly to stare at him. "Are you alright?"

"I guess. My ankle was a little sore earlier, and I've been left in the corner like a potted plant again, but I guess I'm getting used to both of those things." He shrugged and sipped the wine again. "I'm sure there are more important things for you to be concerned about."

Carol frowned, continuing to stare at him. It was a little unnerving so he tried to avoid looking directly at her while she spoke. "I can be concerned about a lot of things, and people who are friends are one of them. You seemed unhappy when you were looking at Glenn and Maggie. Did you and Aaron have a fight?"

"No, not yet." He sighed and set the glass aside. "I don't have any doubts about the way he feels about me, but sometimes I think that he would like for everyone to forget that we're different from them, in any way."

"And so he goes his own way at events like this one?" She glanced across the room to where Daryl, Rick and Aaron were talking, and then back at the other sofa where Glenn and Maggie were still having a private conversation and holding hands.

"He didn't use to do that, but lately? Yeah, he does." Eric turned slightly, not quite looking at her yet, "I don't want a huge display of public affection, but sometimes it would be nice to be included as though I mattered. I doubt anyone would spontaneously combust if he were to hold my hand, or acknowledge in the slightest way that we've been a couple for years."

She stood suddenly and held a hand out to him, "Come on, you don't have to sit here. We'll go chat with people."

Eric frowned but accepted her help to stand and they moved around the edge of the room, greeting people briefly until they came to the three men they had been looking at earlier. Aaron looked confused for a moment when he saw that Carol had her arm hooked through Eric's arm, and he appeared startled when Daryl reached out to put an arm around Eric's shoulders and pull him in closer to the group. The physical contact was brief, but it seemed to send a clear message that Eric was just as welcome to be there with them.

When Aaron continued to look at them with confusion, Eric reached out and took his hand. He didn't let go and gradually Aaron relaxed. "You know, for being able to read people so well when we were out recruiting, you can be really dense about our friends."

Rick smirked, "It's okay. We've all had our moments." He turned back to Daryl, "You should tell Carol about your idea for the watch towers. She might have an eye for placement and distances." And just like that the conversation went back to the protection of the town and Aaron seemed to forget that they were still holding hands in front of all of their friends and neighbors.


	163. Together

Glenn leaned back against the fence and grinned, "You know, sometimes I think that the most unbelievable thing to happen in the last couple of years is finding Maggie. Well, not finding her exactly, but that she was interested in me at all and that we've been able to be together."

"No, I get it. How likely would it have been for the two of you to meet, if you had been in Atlanta and she was on her daddy's farm?" Tara shrugged and leaned back to watch the small group before them. Most of the others were setting up a make-shift camp for the night and the two of them had already scouted the location and were taking a break before going on watch. When that happened they would split up and take different sides of the clearing to watch over, but until then they were chatting.

"Exactly. Even if we did meet beck then, or under those circumstances, I doubt she would have given me a second look." Glenn grimaced, "I got around but it was mostly for work."

"I don't know. I think she would have given you a second look. You are kinda cute." Tara laughed and playfully punched his shoulder.

"Gee, thanks. That means so much coming from you." He shook his head, grinning at her. "No, I think Maggie would have been way out of my league. She still is, really, but people don't exactly have a lot of options anymore."

Tara scowled at him, "I should punch you again for saying that. You value yourself too little. Maggie is lucky to have you, just as lucky as you are to have her. I know all about the lack of options, trust me, but that doesn't mean that you have to settle for someone who doesn't get you, or that you don't really want. I can see it in the way that you look at each other. Even if none of this had happened and the world was going on along as it had been, the two of you would belong together and it would have been a damn shame if you missed that chance."

Glenn sighed, "I guess."

"No, you know I'm right and you just don't want to have to say that out loud." Tara waved at Maggie as the other woman looked over at them and Glenn followed her lead. "I'm totally going to tell Maggie that I'm right. I bet she would agree."

"Yeah, she probably would." He was quiet for a few moments, "You know, even with all of the horrible crap we've dealt with since the world fell apart, I can't imagine life without her now. I wouldn't let go of what we have for anything."

"I know, and if you need to track her down across the state again? I'll be right there with you." Tara slapped his shoulder and stood up straight, "Anytime."


	164. Astounding

"It's astounding," Glenn grinned, but didn't look up from their little camp fire, "time is fleeting-."

Eugene interrupted, "Madness, takes its toll."

Glenn glared at him for a second, "But listen closely," and was interrupted again but this time by Tara.

"Not for very much longer." She grinned at him and gestured for him to continue.

"I've got to keep control." He paused and look around their small group, seeing confusion from some and mirth from others. "I remember doing to the time warp. Drinking those moments when the blackness would hit me."

Tara joined him again, and they spoke in unison, "And the void would be calling. Let's do the time warp again." They both laughed and did a quick fist bump over the flames.

"You're both weird." Daryl shook his head, not wanting to admit that he understood the reference.

"Thank you!" Tara was still grinning, but she shook her head. "I miss that movie."

"Me too. Did you ever go to a live show?" Glenn sighed, "I never had the chance but I always wanted to go to one. They closed the only theatre that did it before I was old enough."

"I never got the chance either." Tara shrugged, "Maybe we'll have to reinvent the tradition one day. After all, we can't let the classics die, right?"

"As long as I'm not the one in the teddy." Glenn grinned as several heads suddenly turned in his direction. "What? Haven't you ever seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show?"

"I guess not." Rick chuckled, "Sounds interesting."

Glenn, Tara and Eugene shared a look, "You have no idea."


	165. Mistakes

"He's growing up so fast." Rick snorted, "That sounds so trite, but it's true." He gestured with his mug of coffee toward the living area where Carl was feeding Judith her breakfast. "People have always said that, but I can't help but see how different he is now."

Carol nodded, "He is growing up, and there hasn't been time for it to go slowly. That would have been too dangerous in the world we have now."

Rick leaned closer, "He even asked if he could have coffee this morning. I was tempted to say yes just to see how he would react to the taste."

"That's mean." Carol swatted at his shoulder, "Now get your elbows off the counter, I need to wipe it down before you get those crumbs on the floor." She shook her head as he moved aside.

"I'm proud of him, but it isn't easy to tell him that without it sounding like I'm patronizing him." Rick shrugged, "He's been so good with Judith, from the beginning. He told me that Gabriel has asked to learn something about weapons from him now too."

"You don't have to worry about him so much anymore. He can take care of himself, and others. He'll be a good leader one day." Carol wrung out the dishrag and laid it over the edge of the sink. "He understands more about the things we have to do to survive. He's responsible, and he cares for others. He wants to help people."

"More than I do sometimes." Rick shook his head, continuing to stare at his two children. "He always wants to jump in to save someone, even when it could be a lost cause or they're just a stranger in the woods. I thought that might be a weakness, but now? I'm not sure."

"Because of what Daryl said?" Carol nodded, leaning against the counter with Rick again, "Daryl sees more than a lot of people realize. He's probably right. How often were we in a situation that could have been helped with a few more friends? A few more people to take watch, to provide skills for survival, or even just a few more people fighting on our side against those like the Governor? There can be strength in numbers, if you have something strong enough to tie those people to each other. Survival can be that thing."

Rick sighed, "I guess that might be true. It's just so hard to trust. Hard to let go of the control." His lips quirked, "Lori used to say that it was being a control-freak that made me a good deputy. It doesn't always help here though, and sometimes it's hard to let go. Carl tries to remind me of that; that I can't control everything and that he needs to take responsibility for those things he can do on his own."

"Good, it just shows that he has sense." Carol crossed her arms, "Like you said, he is growing up. Maybe seeing our limitations will help him recognize his own. He can learn from our mistakes and do better."

"Yeah, he will." Rick pushed away from the counter, "I think I need more of this." He tilted his mug and went back to the coffee machine.


	166. Mercy

"It's selfish. Not killing those people." Carol set her mug on the kitchen counter and looked at Morgan steadily. "You don't do it for them, you do it for yourself."

He nodded slowly, "That might be true. I have my own reasons for letting people live, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong."

She was silent for a moment, frowning, "But you are wrong. Those people who attacked Alexandria? They attacked you before. They had a trap set up, that you saved Aaron and Daryl from. They kill innocent people for no reason at all, and if you don't stop them when there is the chance to do so? They will kill more people."

He nodded again, "That might be true too, but that is their choice."

"No, that is your responsibility. If you let the known killer go and they kill again, all of that blood is on you. All of those deaths, which might have been prevented, are your responsibility to shoulder. We don't let rabid dogs run loose and bite people, and we don't let rabid people go on to kill more innocents when we have the chance to stop them." Carol picked up her coffee again, using the mug to warm her hands, "Sometimes we have to kill. It's the best choice we have when it comes to people like those Wolves, like the Governor, like Terminus. Reason doesn't work with those people, only violence will stop them."

Morgan shook his head, "That doesn't mean that I have to kill them. Every human life is precious now. We're becoming fewer and fewer. Killing other people? It won't save this world."

"But letting those people continue killing others won't save it either. Is it better to kill five and prevent more deaths, or let those five go on to kill one hundred and then another hundred, and another, and another?" Carol wouldn't back down on this issue. She had seen too many innocent people killed because of human actions, and she knew that humans were just as dangerous as any of the walkers outside their walls. "I'm not saying that mercy is a bad thing, but some people? They don't deserve it, and wouldn't understand it anymore. You let them live and they will be back to kill you and your family later."

He snorted, "I don't have a family anymore."

"Well, I do, and I'll do anything it takes to keep them safe. I'll kill anyone I have to kill to do that. We can't keep our hands clean and live as though the world around us isn't a dangerous place. Death is everywhere now. The only way to survive is to act."

"I'm sorry that you feel that way." He stared out the window, where some of the community clean-up was still underway.

"You didn't seem sorry when I was saving your life out there." She set the mug in the sink and gave him one last, serious look, before leaving.


	167. Count

"I heard that you're making friends already." Carol nudged his shoulder with her own, grinning up at him, and Daryl shrugged.

"Got a job, that's all." He didn't look at her and that was all she needed to know that he was feeling a bit sheepish.

"That's good; I heard that you and Aaron are getting along well. It's okay to make new friends, Daryl." Carol continued smiling at him, not caring that he was trying to ignore her. "They invited you for dinner, didn't they?"

He shrugged again, "Yeah, and Aaron showed me the bike he had in the garage and all the parts he had been collecting for it. I'm going to work on it a bit tomorrow."

"Good, I might go over there with you." She looked away and now he was staring down at her, "I was hoping to talk to Eric and get some of his impressions on the people here."

"Making new friends?" There was a hint of laughter in his voice and he nudged her shoulder.

"I hope so." She gestured out over there small front yard, "We won't be able to keep this if we don't become part of their community. And from what I've seen? Not all of them would survive if we don't."

"You want them to survive?" Daryl leaned into the porch railing, "It's funny how everyone is about this place. Michonne told me that she wants it to work so we have a home again finally, you and Rick are hiding weapons and making plans for when things fall apart, and we're all going our own ways with these new job assignments."

Carol sighed, "True, and I do want the people here to survive. They have to want it too though and the ones not willing to learn and fight for what they have? I want to know who they are so if it does fall apart, we'll know who to count on for help. Sooner or later it always falls apart."

"You think Eric is going to help you figure out who those people are? He and Aaron probably brought some of them into these walls."

"I think he would know who can be trusted, and I think I will trust his judgement on the people here as I get to know them for myself." She gripped the railing with both hands and looked at Daryl again, "I don't want to spy on the people here, but I need to know what they might be capable of for this place."

Daryl was quiet for a few moments, thinking of what he wanted to say, and what he was scared to say to her. It surprised him how much he already liked these people, and he didn't want to lose the little he had already gained. There hadn't been much purpose in his life, except survival, and he didn't want his group to be the reason he lost that again. "Just, be careful. If we're making new friends, I want them to be real and not just for show."

She watched him intently, and finally nodded, "I understand. If I play a role here, it won't be for the people who can see through it."


	168. Crypt

"This is like every bad horror movie cliché all come to life at once." Eric leaned back against the cold marble and sighed, "And I think the bag I left in the car was the one with water in it."

There wasn't a lot of light in the small building, but he could still see Aaron's shrug. They were shut inside a small family crypt in a very old cemetery, and sitting on the marble slabs that housed the bones of that family. It had been the best available choice when they had gotten separated from the vehicles by a herd of roamers. A small stained glass window, set in the small dome of the roof, was what gave the only light, and Aaron had already cautioned against using their flashlights.

"I think we can get along without that for a few hours. As long as the herd keeps passing we should be able to get out of here in an hour or two." No matter what the situation he always seemed calm. It was almost annoying.

"And what do you propose that we do for those two hours?" There was a teasing lilt to Eric's voice that made Aaron freeze in place before slowly turning to look at his boyfriend.

"Why? Do you have an idea?"

"I might." Eric grinned, "Did your high school have a favorite make-out spot? Mine did. A place like this actually. You could come over here and we could keep each other warm."

Aaron stared at him for a few more seconds, "Are you seriously suggesting that we make-out like teenagers while stuck inside a crypt waiting for a herd of roamers to pass?" His lips quirked a little as he tried to maintain his look of incredulity.

Eric saw through that immediately though, "Absolutely. Like you said, we have two hours and I can't think of anything better to do. Can you?"

"You know, this is how people usually died during those bad horror movies." Aaron hesitated only slightly before getting up from the coffin he had been sitting on. "We're not telling Deanna about this when we get back to Alexandria." He didn't waste any more time in getting across the crypt to Eric's side.


	169. Late

"When did it all fall apart?" Daryl sighed, kicking the side of the steps. "Every single time it seems like we found a place to be safe, it all goes to shit."

Carol watched him, thin lipped, her face still a mess from the earlier attack. She had rubbed at the blood she used to draw the letter on her forehead, but she could still feel a tackiness on her skin. There just wasn't time to stop to do anything about it. Between the attack from the people who came over the walls, and through the walls, to the walkers who came when attracted by the horn it had been a non-stop day. Her only solace was that most of their people had returned; Daryl had returned with Sash and Abraham as soon as they had gotten the other part of the herd to their pre-planned destination, and Carol was sure they had come home as quickly as they could because they beat most of the other walkers to Alexandria.

He stared at her, wondering at her silence. "Not going to say you told me so?"

She shook her head, "No. I'm just sorry."

"About what?" Daryl squinted, unsure of where she was going with her comment.

"That you seem to be losing hope." Carol shrugged, "I think I lost any hope I had long before we got here. When we were in Atlanta, you still had some, and then after Beth? I thought that when we got here and you started working with Aaron that you found a reason to hope for the future again, and I'm sorry that you seem to be losing it."

Daryl was quiet for several moments, "I'm just tired." He looked away from her, watching as people continued picking up the dead that were still littered around their street. "I'm tired of always fighting. Always losing people who've become friends. Always running from danger to another place only for the danger to follow."

"It doesn't follow, it's everywhere now. We just don't always see it until it's too late." Carol reached out to touch his elbow, "We can't stop fighting though."

"I know." He snorted, "I just want to pretend that we can take more than five minutes before going back out there to look for survivors. We still have people missing; Glenn is still out there. Maggie can't go out alone."

Carol nodded, not letting go of his arm yet. "I know."


	170. Baby

"I'll bet that you haven't had a lot of experience with babies." Carol was smiling when she nudged his arm and pointed across the room. Daryl was holding Judith while he spoke to Aaron, and though he seemed completely comfortable with it, Aaron seemed a little nervous.

Eric laughed, "No, we didn't have a lot of friends who were parents, before all of this. Alexandria has children, but none as young as Rick's daughter."

"Well, that will probably change sooner or later with more people being brought in, and relationships forming. Eventually, someone is going to have to have babies if the human race is going to continue." Carol shrugged, "To be honest though, I'm glad it won't be me."

"I'll say the same. I don't think kids are something we ever really wanted, and even now it wouldn't work with our jobs in Alexandria." Eric shrugged, "Aaron needs to be on the move, outside the walls, and it's dangerous. I understand why he needs that, but it doesn't lead to a lot of stability."

"And that is one thing that babies do need; they can be a lot of work even when they are wanted." She hesitated slightly, thinking about the ages of the children she had known in the last few years. "We seem to have lost an entire generation of children; too young to take care of themselves on their own. There aren't even many teens here, at least not ones that don't have family."

"Enid was one of the few to find her way here, alone. We crossed paths with a few of them out on the road, but they have even more trust issues than some of the adults." He smirked as Daryl tried to hand the baby to Aaron and was swiftly refused. "We had to develop a new pitch just for them, which wasn't easy."

"I can believe that." She was smiling at the two men also, "Should I go over to save Aaron? It's probably time for Judith to take a nap."

"That is a good idea. Aaron is one of the gentlest people I've ever known, but I don't think he wants to hold that baby."

"And Daryl probably isn't going to take no for an answer." Carol laughed and started across the room, holding out her arms for Judith as soon as she got close. "Daryl, not everyone wants to hold her. I'll take her upstairs for her nap."

She shook her head as Daryl scowled, and took the baby from him. "She's getting big, isn't she?"

Aaron nodded, leaning into the touch as Eric's hand slid across his back, "I wouldn't want to drop her."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. I'm sure she's been dropped a few times already." Carol laughed again at their worried expressions. "Almost every baby is at one time or another. They survive."


	171. Grace

There was a grace in the way that she moved. Every action was smooth and controlled as her sword sliced through the dead she passed. Every footstep was measured and balanced as she rushed toward the gate of the prison. It was quick and silent, and Carl had to shake himself slightly to remember to get to the ropes controlling the gate's movement so she could get inside. Michonne was a warrior and he wanted to be just like her as he got older.

If his father would allow it. He frowned, and got the gate doors closed again as soon as she was inside the first, and then opened the inner gate while she stood there panting. "That was close. What happened to the car?"

Michonne shook her head, "Didn't get more than five miles before it died on the road. Not sure why; it had gas. Maybe something electrical." Her response was a little stuttered as she continued catching her breath, bent over with her hands on her thighs. She took a couple of deep breaths and stood up straight again soon enough though, sliding her sword into the sheath. "I came straight back here. No point in going on further, right?"

"Yeah, but that sucks." Carl shrugged, appreciating that she was one of the few people at the prison who talked to him like he was an adult instead of a little kid. She always did that, even when his own father was seconding guessing his instincts. "Are you going to go back out to get the car later?"

She shrugged, "We should. Maybe Daryl would know what's wrong with it, and if nothing else we can siphon the gas and strip it for parts before getting it out of the road. I should report to the council and let them know about the trouble. Know where Carol or Hershel might be?" She tipped her head, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked towards the prison buildings.

"Yeah, Carol is in the library with the little kids for story time, and I think Hershel is with my dad and Glenn in the infirmary." Carl hesitated, not wanting to seem too chatty, but then added, "They were going to inventory some of the supplies there so we know what to look for on future runs."

"We? You planning on coming out with us sometime soon?" Michonne grinned, showing that it was a gentle tease.

"I would, if my dad would let me. I need to know how to do these things, you know?" Carl scowled, "I have to be able to take care of myself."

"I know. He let you come out with him though, so he can't be totally against it. He just worries. Like a father." She resisted the urge to tousle his hair and slapped his shoulder instead. "I'll keep working on him with you, and maybe he'll give in again soon."

Carl gave her a bright smile, "Thanks, Michonne."


	172. Marry

Carl wrapped his hands around the hot mug and inhaled deeply. "Thanks! I can't remember the last time we had this."

"Did she give you some of those tiny little marshmallows?" Michonne leaned closer to look into his mug of hot cocoa and Carol slapped her shoulder.

"Don't be silly, I gave everyone those little marshmallows, including you. Do you need more, Michonne?" Carol grinned and shook the bag that held the last of them. She opened it up again and poured the few remaining marshmallows into Michonne's mug before going back to the kitchen area to throw the empty bag away.

"I told my dad that he should marry Carol." Carl grinned, showing he wasn't really serious with his suggestion.

Michonne glanced at Rick, who was across the room talking to Abraham, and laughed, "What was his reaction?"

"He choked on his coffee and then couldn't figure out what to say for about five minutes. I had to tell him that I was kidding just to get him to speak again."

"Good, because I am going to marry Carol. And then I'll have all of the tiny little marshmallows I want, every cocoa night." Michonne reached over to nudge Carl's shoulder but stopped mid-motion as Carol's voice came back to them.

"Sorry, Michonne but Tara already called dibs when we were out on the road. I guess she liked those roasted veggies we had before leaving Georgia." Carol leaned around the kitchen doorframe, smirking. "Don't worry. I still love you; so you'll get as many marshmallows as you like, as long as we have them in supply."


	173. Safe

Eric had been very quiet, which Aaron took as a blessing at first, but by the time he was cleaned up and ready to go back out for a turn on the wall, he was starting to worry about it. "Do you want to have dinner before I go back?"

"I was thinking about skipping dinner. We need to ration, right?" He didn't look up from his book, and his expression didn't change, but his tone was low.

"I suppose we do. Did you have lunch at least?" Aaron hadn't been thinking about food earlier, and he wasn't very hungry now so it didn't bother him to skip another meal. Eric was still healing though, and had just donated blood, so the calories were needed.

Eric's jaw tightened for a moment, "Does it matter?"

Aaron hesitated before opening the closet to get a clean jacket. His clothes from earlier had been wet and filthy, but they were cutting back on power usage so he didn't want to put things through the wash until there was a good sized load of items. "You're mad at me. For going back to the wall tonight or because I asked them not to have you guard? You know what those ladders are like, and it wouldn't be easy for you to get up and down without possibly falling."

Eric took a deep breath, and look up from his book. "That's part of it."

"And the other part?"

"You were going to leave with Maggie, leave the walls, and you didn't even say anything to me before you left. I tried to find you, and no one knew where you were." He looked away again, "I get that you feel guilty about the photos and the bag, but that herd of roamers isn't your fault. If people were lost out there trying to deal with the herd- that isn't your fault either. And doing something stupid because you feel like you owe penance, for something that isn't your fault, just puts you in danger."

"She was going to go out on her own." Aaron set the jacket over the back of a chair, "I couldn't let her go alone. She's pregnant."

Eric nodded, "And that is wonderful and horrible, for her. I understand, I really do. But there were other people who could have backed her up, people who knew where Glenn and Nicholas might be or where they might have gone. It didn't have to be you, and you could have told me what your plans were before getting back. I like Maggie, and I like Glenn, and I hope that it works out and all of our people out there return safely, but I wish you would have given two seconds of thought to me before trying to put me into her position."

Aaron wasn't sure what to say, it was true that he hadn't thought to tell Eric that he was going beyond the walls. He hadn't been thinking about anything other than helping Maggie and trying to make up for what he still saw as his fault, the attack by the Wolves. He had just wanted to make something better, for someone.

"I love you, so much, and sometimes it hurts that you seem so willing to throw your life away." Eric set the book aside and stood to cross the room, but Aaron met him halfway so he didn't have to move too far. He returned the embrace that was offered, "I don't want to make you feel bad, and I know that you try to protect me from some of what is going on out there. I just wish that you'd remember that I need you to be safe too."


	174. Relax

There were few moments where everything seemed like it might be okay and life might actually be good again, in between the days of fear from walkers and other people who might attack. It was important to grab those moments and make the best of them, however you could. So Carol took it upon herself to organize a night for their whole group, their whole family, to spend time together. They hadn't been in Alexandria for very long, but she was already learning how to game the system, as Carl put it, and she had gotten some of the microwavable popcorn that Olivia kept hidden in the supply depot.

Eugene had connected with a few other science fiction lovers, and had managed to borrow a set of Star Wars movies for the evening. He was trying to explain the order in which they should be watched, for the fifth time, to Rosita, as Abraham rolled his eyes. Glenn and Maggie were laughing at the scene, curled up on the couch behind the trio, and Rick was handing out large pillows and throw blankets for the people who had chosen to lounge on the floor. Carol couldn't help herself, she was smiling, and Tara noticed it.

"Good day finally, hmm?" Tara had been helping get the popcorn ready and spilt into bowls for everyone to share. She had suggested that they could invite some of the new friends they had made, and Daryl had suggested inviting Aaron and Eric, but Carol was glad that it was just their group at the moment. They had been pulled in so many direction just after their arrival, it was nice to have a moment where they could relax together. They had even convinced Sasha to let go of her rifle for the night and the young woman was chatting with Carl about their favorite characters as the teen set up the movie in the dvd player.

"It has been a good day, a very good day. We're lucky to have it." Carol handed Tara one of the bowls so it could be taken into the other room, "I just hope the rest of the night is as good, and safe."


	175. Write

She scribbled across the small pages, using her knees to steady the book as she wrote. It wasn't much, but it gave her a few minutes of peace every day. Write in her journal, make plans for the future and tell about what had happened the day before. A record of her life, her daddy used to tell her. It may not seem important every day right now, but some day it could be. It would be a glimpse into her past when she was older, or perhaps in these times it could be a record for the people who came later.

Beth didn't know that anyone in the future would be interested in the thoughts and feelings of a farm girl from Georgia, but her daddy told her that historians were often interested in those things and about the events as told by the people experiencing them. By being a survivor, she was someone important. She could tell their story, and her own, and it might matter to someone, someday. She sighed, almost setting the diary aside.

Every day was so similar to the one before it was hard to think of what to write this morning. Yesterday she had done her chores at the prison. She watched Judith for a while and helped Carol with lunch for everyone, and then cleaned her cell. It hadn't really needed cleaning yet, but it was something to do while waiting for the run team to return. Glenn was out with them and that meant Maggie was nervous, and when her sister was nervous she tended to pay too much attention to what Beth was doing. Older sisters could be a pain. Beth rolled her eyes just thinking about it.

Glenn had returned safely, with the rest of the team, and they had found some canned fruit. That had been a treat for dinner even though most of it was put in storage for rationing out later. Michonne had passed a few comics to Carl, and he had offered to share them with Beth but she had never been that interested in superheroes. She had been working her way through the prison library. They didn't have many of the more recent novels but they did have a lot of classics.

Reading was something to do when she was done with the chores of the day, and the others had noticed and had begun to bring her more popular paperbacks that were easily found in the best seller racks of convenience stores and bookshelves in some of the houses. Daryl had tossed her a book as soon as he had seen her in the prison yard. She was almost done with the last book and couldn't wait to start the new one. When she finished one book she passed them on, if they were any good, to Carol. Beth knew that Carol would pass it on to someone else, probably Rick or Maggie.

She shook her head, turning back to her blank journal pages. There had to be something to write, other than "today was exactly the same as yesterday." She bit her lip, rubbing her eyes with one hand, and began with the basics.


	176. Trapped

All she wanted to do was go outside, which seemed like a simple thing until it was not. Tara hadn't left the apartment building, save for the short trip to the truck out front, for more than a month and she was getting antsy. She loved her family, but this twenty-four hour a day thing was getting old. There was a reason she had her own place before all of this hit, even if her dad had offered a room to save money.

Tara sighed and stared down at the street. As things stood they could be worse; they could be stuck here without any food or water, or anything to keep them occupied. The board games and books were wearing out her patience though. She had read every one of the books on her father's bookshelf, and when she tried looking into the other apartments she was almost killed. She felt trapped in a loop of bad family holidays.

She hadn't even seen another living person in months, other than her family, but she knew there had to be other people out there somewhere. The one time she brought that up to Lily, the idea of looking for people had been shot down so fast her niece hadn't even realized what they were talking about. Lily was right though; they couldn't leave their father and he was in no condition to go anywhere.

Tara also knew that there had to be some way to kill those things, the dead people who were still walking around. Biters. She had tried. Shooting them repeatedly didn't work though and only seemed to draw more of them to the noise, rile them up for hours and scare everyone. She got away by causing them to fall a few times and using their slow movement as her headstart, but there had to be a better way.

There just had to be a better way for all of it. She was just scared to try to change things. She knew her sister was not going to agree to anything until their father passed or they ran out of food on that truck outside, and Tara didn't want either of those things to happen. She knew they had to prepare for it though, and she hoped there would be a chance to do that before it was too late.


	177. Bucket

"I used to like camping." Rosita shivered slightly, "I don't think it is nearly as fun as it used to be."

Abraham, laughed and pulled her closer to his side. "It's all about the circumstances, darling."

"And the people you're with. This can't be so bad when you have all of us." Maggie grinned, tightening her grip on Glenn for a moment.

Rosita smiled back at her, accepting Abraham's side hug, "Oh, the people are the only thing that I do like about this experience. Being cold, wet, hungry, tired? All of that? I can get used to it, but I don't know why I used to think this was fun."

"Because you used to have a choice." Daryl's voice was a little gruff, from being silent for most of the day Carol supposed, but it wasn't unkind. "When you went camping you brought food and a tent. You went where you wanted, did what you wanted." He shrugged, "Don't have those choices anymore."

"You're right. When I went camping before I could always pull up the tent stakes and head for a hotel if it rained, or a grocery store if I needed to resupply for dinner." Rosita was frowning, but she looked at him thoughtfully. She didn't know a lot about Daryl Dixon, but she could guess from his earlier tone that things hadn't been so easy in his life before the world fell apart. Whatever had been his life had given him skills which allowed the rest of them to survive though.

Daryl seemed to understand the look on her face though and he nodded sharply toward her when she didn't voice her thoughts in front of the others. Those who knew about his life already were family now, and he didn't want to rehash anything in front of everyone else. It didn't matter anymore.

Carol's hand closing over his own hand startled him for a moment, "Life was easier for some of us, but that doesn't mean it was always better." She squeezed his hand before letting go again and he watched her carefully, knowing that she was trying to lighten things up again and distract them all.

"Maybe tomorrow we'll find one of those old hotels and clear a few rooms for the night. I never stayed at a nice one, not like the ones we've passed on this road. I can cross that off from my bucket list." Carol looked toward Rick and he grinned.

"You still have a bucket list?" And with that the conversation turned toward the ideas that the others had for things that still might be possible. Daryl could still feel the slight heat from Carol's hand, where it had been touching him and he looked at her from under his bangs for several seconds before turning back toward the fire.


	178. Caught

"I don't want to be a hypochondriac, but I swear, every time I get sick now I wonder if this is the end." Tara sniffled and Carol passed another tissue to her. She looked at it, frowning slightly, "This is one of those things that we're going to have to go back to the old fashioned way of doing soon, right? Hankies instead of tissues? Reusable instead of disposable?"

Carol nodded, "It would be a good idea. While we have the opportunity to launder things it won't be so bad." She hesitated, "Sickness is a worry though. You didn't have to go through what we did at the prison, though I know Tyreese was going to tell you about some of it after we left Terminus. People got sick, a flu or cold, and they died. It was bad."

"Yeah, he mentioned something about that. Maybe it would have been better for you if the group I was with had gotten sick too, but it missed us. We were lucky, I guess?" Tara blew her nose and tucked the tissue into a pocket. "Denise is worried about some old disease coming back and getting us all sick, and not being able to do anything about it. She keeps studying the medical books for symptoms of different illnesses."

"That isn't a bad idea. There are diseases passed from insects or animals that we might be able to treat if caught early enough." Carol gave the younger woman a reassuring smile. "I'm sure Denise will have things well in hand; she seems to be doing alright so far."

"I wish she would see that. Confidence is definitely an issue."

"We all go through that. I did, and I survived. Eugene did and he saved your life. Denise will have her moment and things will get better." Carol passed another tissue over to Tara, "You should get some rest and I'll make some broth for you to sip, alright? Maybe a little hot lemonade?"


	179. Possible

"I can't take you guys anywhere." Michonne sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. It was supposed to be a simple run for supplies, but when they saw that it wasn't going to be as dangerous as some of their other runs the guys started acting like children. She was tired of watching children.

She grabbed a can out of the air and both Daryl and rick stopped to look at her. "Can we collect these things instead of throwing them at each other?"

Daryl just squinted at her and shrugged, but Rick looked slightly abashed. "Sorry, just letting off steam."

Michonne tucked the can into her bag. "Alright, but can you something that won't result in a possible injury? I don't want to have to drag your unconscious bodies back to the prison and explain to the Council how I let you brain each other."


	180. Probably

He really didn't understand her at all, but it didn't matter because he wasn't going to let her die when there was a chance to save her. Glenn watched Enid carefully. The girl was unpredictable, and she wanted him to think that she was dangerous. He had doubts about that though. Not that she wouldn't be able to take care of herself against walkers but that she would kill another human without good reason.

She had already threatened him with a gun and then failed to follow through with her threat. He didn't understand why she wanted to leave Alexandria or stay outside the walls though; all he wanted was to get back home to his family. He shook his head, and glanced to the other side of the road. It was clear so far; all of the walkers seemed to have been gathering together and were either pulled by their plan or had turned to follow the noise back to Alexandria. They met a few stragglers, and had taken them out quickly and efficiently, but Glenn knew that the hard part would be finding a way through the crowd outside the walls and into the community without drawing too much attention from the walkers.

He had to hope that the walls were still standing and that Maggie was alright; that all of his family were alright. He hadn't heard anything on the walkie since he was pinned and then it was lost as he scrambled to save himself. He knew Rick and the others would have headed for home as soon as they finished their parts of the plan, but he hadn't seen any sign of them yet. It was worrying, but Glenn was taking the quiet as a sign that things were not completely horrible.

Enid was looking at him oddly now and he realized that he had fallen silent for longer than she was used to on this walk. "What?"

"Gonna keep staring at the road, or are we going to get started again?" Her frown didn't have any effect on him, and she turned to look up the road again. "It'll still be there when we get there, probably."

"I hope so." Glenn shook his head and started walking again, passing her without another word.


	181. Gruesome

The street was quiet, save for a few birds that were singing from the oaks that lined the sidewalks. It would have been a nice summer day, one ideal for spending time out in the sun and running a few easy errands. Michonne had the feeling that days like that were long gone though, and as nice as it might seem there was almost always something hiding in the shadows to beware of now. She adjusted her grip on her sword and nodded toward Glenn, signaling that the alley closest to her position was clear.

They moved further up the street, making sure it was safe and remained quiet as they approached the small town grocer that lay ahead at the end of the street. The small parking lot was ringed with cars so it was difficult to see what was there at the front of the store, but she expected that there would be a few walkers. They would have been trapped between the vehicles and have fallen into an apathetic stupor waiting for some kind of stimulus. The kind that the run team's movement would create, so they were being extra cautious so that there wouldn't be stray roamers behind them to box them in if anything went wrong.

Glenn held up a hand and she froze until he shook his head and pointed. They were getting close to the end of the street, and she was starting to be able to see between the parked cars. The front of the grocer looked intact, but there was a pile of bodies in front of the door that seemed ominous. She stared, trying to make sense of what she was seeing until Daryl gave a sharp whistle and gestured them all forward again.

There were a few mobile walkers trapped in the parking lot, but between Daryl's arrows and Michonne's long reach with her sword they were dispatched between the group climbed across the trunk of a mid-sized car to get into the lot. There were walkers on the ground too, ripped apart from their attacks and left to turn. Glenn started putting them down as Michonne made her way to the pile-up at the front doors.

It was a gruesome sight, but one that she had seen before in various configurations. People panicked and tried to get away, only to trample each other and become trapped. Become victims as they clawed their way out from the jumble of other bodies that surrounded them. Michonne stopped a few feet away, frowning at the monstrosity that had been created out of desperation. The dead bodies had decayed, from time and weather, and they looked almost like a blob with writhing arms reaching out toward anything they could claw at or bite. It was pathetic and mesmerizing and she hadn't realized that she had stared for so long until an arrow went through the skull of one of the walkers closest to her, and Daryl shouldered her aside to retrieve it.

"Gotta clear this and keep going. Might be something left inside." He gave her a side-eued look and she nodded. "You okay?"

"Yeah, fine." She frowned again, not wanting to think of the walkers as they had been before, desperate, terrified people. "I'm ready."


	182. Brave

"It isn't that hard to be brave." Tara shrugged, "All you have to do is admit that there is nothing left to lose and you stop fearing what you have to do to survive."

"I don't think that it's that simple." Denise looked up from her medical text, frowning slightly. Her hair was failing across her forehead again and she reached up to push it out of the way.

"I guess it isn't just that. It helps to have a goal to focus on too. Survival can be that goal, or saving someone else, getting to a certain spot on the map." Tara leaned against the doorframe, "It can be almost anything, as long as you want it bad enough. I think you're learning."

Denise laughed, "I don't really have a choice, do I? I want to be able to do this. I have to be able to do it."

"And that would be your goal then, and you're doing it too." Tara gestured at the unconscious man, laying across the medical bed. "He's getting better, isn't he?"

"I think he is. His temp is better, the infection seems to be less than it was before." Denise bit her lip, staring at her patient for a moment for looking back to Tara.

"You're getting there; closer to being brave, I mean. I think you can do it. I have faith in you." Tara grinned, "It'll get easier."

"I hope you're right."

"Oh, I am always right." Tara continued to smile broadly, "You'll learn that about me as we get to know each other better."


	183. Obsolete

It was one of the stores that hadn't been touched very much by looters or damaged by herds and the panicky people who fled the area. It was easily cleared and secured, but there wasn't a lot of floor space. Most of the store was filled with chest-high tables that were filled with items that had been for sale. Michonne kept looking around, while the others settled, picking up bits of merchandise and setting them back down with a shake of her head.

"Looking for something?" Carol had finished setting up her bedroll, and was watching as Michonne moved around the small space. "We should check the supply closet or the breakroom. There could be something we might use."

Michonne nodded, "More than these things anyway." She picked up another small item, a cell phone, and then set it down again. "I remember how desperate people were to get these things, waiting in lines for hours, paying hundreds of dollars, and now look at it all. Obsolete, worthless junk now."

Carol nodded, poking at the phone she was standing next to, "True. I never had any of this stuff. We couldn't afford it, even if my husband had allowed us the luxury." She shrugged, "I can't say I was ever tempted by it anyway."

"It was mostly a bother." Michonne smirked, "I had a nice phone, kept my schedule on it. Kept track of all my clients on it. Can't say I miss it much, thought there were pictures on it I would give almost anything to have back."

"Well, that part I can understand. When Ed was packing the MREs I was grabbing Sophia's baby book and now I don't have it, and can never have it again." Carol glanced across the store to the others, "Carl was lucky that you could help him get that picture with Lori. Maybe Judith will have the chance to know what her mother looked like."

"It's harder for them, losing a parent. Every new step is missing that person who would be watching it happen and be proud." Michonne flicked a finger at another phone, letting it fall to the floor and break.

Carol was shaking her head though, "No it isn't harder for them. It's hard for everyone. Losing a child isn't easier."

Michonne froze for a moment, "No, it isn't." Something crossed her face, a look that Carol wasn't sure how to define, and then she was frowning at the phones again, "Let's go check those back rooms. I've seen enough of these useless things."


	184. Camp

"I think I love this place." Tara grinned, picking up some of the old decoration that had fallen into disrepair. There were old Viking-looking relics on shelves and Scandinavian rosemaling painted on the walls. It was dark, but that was because everything from the floors to the ceilings seemed to be made of a dark, rich colored wood. "I feel like I've fallen into Beowulf."

Rick was staring up at a large moose head that was hung over the fireplace. "It certainly looks interesting. Wonder what it was used for."

"It was a summer camp, for kids." Carol picked up a sign and waved it slightly, getting everyone's attention by the rustling of the paper. "There are brochures and a summer schedules over here."

Daryl kicked one of the long benches, shifting it slightly, "All these tables, benches… must have had a lot of campers, right? Maybe there was a kitchen?"

"Totally!" Tara looked around, finally pointing to a set of dark brown doors on one wall. Every other door had windows set in them, showing the outdoors, "I bet the kitchen is right through there."

There was a moment of silence as everyone looked to each other. Rick finally nodded toward Michonne, who was closest to the doors, "Want to knock and find out if anyone is still home?"

She nodded sharply and crossed the few feet to rap on the wood with the end of her sword. It wasn't very loud, but it was a sharper noise than their voices had been. They waited.

"Okay, let's check it out." Rick gestured for Michonne to take point, and Daryl stepped up behind her. "Just us three. Everyone else just stay here, alright?"

"There's a coffee area in the corner over there, so we'll check that out, and those cabinets too." Carol offered and Rick nodded. The room was filled with a lot of things along the walls, and the coffee area had a large machine sitting next to racks of cups.

"Good, just be careful." Rick grinned when she rolled her eyes at him, "Never hurts to say it again."

"Just get in there and find us some canned tomatoes." She shook her head, grabbing Tara and starting for the other side of the dining hall. Rosita and Abraham were already starting for the opposite wall, leaving the rest of the group to sort themselves out amongst the dining tables. Carol didn't worry about them, she just wanted to see if there were any useful bits remaining in this place. It was dusty, but there weren't papers on the floor and the furniture was intact, which was a good sign.

"If we weren't on our way somewhere already, this would have been a good place to stay for a while. The map shows cabins to live in, there is a kitchen, woods for gathering materials and hunting, even a lake for fishing and cleaning stuff." Tara paused next to the large coffee machine, touching the map that was carved onto a large piece of wood. "I'm surprised that no one is here."

Carol shrugged, pausing before she pulled a box of coffee packed out from under the machine. "I would have said that someone might have already tried staying here, but it's too well stocked out here for that to be true, and too clean. There's dust on everything, but no mess." She tossed a box of tea toward the younger woman, "We wouldn't run out of drinks, if we wanted to take all of this with us."

Abraham laughed suddenly, "We have dishes over here. Lots of them." He had left the doors open on the cabinets, and Carol could see stacks of plates, bowls and glasses. Nice, but not quite as useful.

A sudden crash in the kitchen caught everyone's attention and they turned to the closed wooden doors. Nothing else was heard until Daryl poked his head out though, "Sorry, tipped over a pot. It's clear in here." He propped the door open, "Lots of canned food in here too, those big bulk cans. Cold storage is a loss, but we already knew that."

"We've got coffee and tea out here, and place settings." Carol glanced toward Noah, not wanting to suggest that they stay more than a night when they were on their way to his home. "Maybe we'll have a good meal for a change?"

"Sure will," Rick stepped out of the kitchen also, "And we'll take the rest of it with us. It's a good find; thanks to Tara and Daryl's quick eyes on spotting the driveway."


	185. Invincible

They had been picking through each of the houses they sheltered inside, searching for clothing, jackets and anything usable from the closets. Things like flashlights, emergency kits, and old medications were at a premium now, and they wanted to grab whatever they could use. Rick knew that they often just found a lot of old junk, but he still encouraged everyone to look for things they could take.

Carl was standing in a large walk-in closet that was filled with boxes and big plastic tubs, opening them and sorting through the things inside, when he suddenly laughed. It had been a while since Rick had heard that sound. He had to investigate, but as soon as he stepped into the doorway a bundle was thrown at him and he fumbled to catch it properly.

It was a string of colored Christmas lights, balled up in a way that indicated the homeowner was not one to plan ahead. It would have been a serious pain to unravel them all for the next season, with the way they were tangled. "You want to decorate?"

Carl laughed again, "No, I was just remembering something." He took the bundle of lights back from his father and shoved it into the open tub at his side. "Remember that Christmas when you decided to put lights all over the outside of the house and Shane was helping? He lifted me up to the roof and when Mom saw me up there she freaked out. I remember Shane laughing so hard he could barely breathe."

Rick nodded, grinning, "Do you remember what your mom said to Shane?" Carl shook his head and Rick continued, "She threatened to go get my gun and shoot him if he didn't get you down from the roof immediately, and then she threatened to shoot me too for letting him put you up there in the first place. She was so mad. She was sure you were going to fall off and break both your arms and legs."

"I don't remember her getting mad, I just remember looking out over the neighborhood and feeling like I was invincible up there. I wanted to stay up there all day." Carl shrugged, "I had never been so tall."

"She was furious, but she got over it quickly. It was just worry for your safety." Rick snickered, "Of course, it was Shane who managed to get himself hurt by falling off the ladder. Your mom offered to call 911, while she was laughing at him of course, but Shane refused. He had a crush on one of the paramedics at that time, I think, and didn't want her to see him flat on his back in the middle of our yard."

Carl was silent for a few moments, looking at the Christmas decorations in the tub he was searching. "We had some good Christmas times, didn't we?"

"Yeah, we had some great holidays." Rick reached out and touched Carl's shoulder, "Maybe one day we can make sure Judith has some great holidays to celebrate too."


	186. Plucky

"If you call me your plucky sidekick one more time you are going to be eating your gloves." Tara smirks, "Or I'll cut your hair in the middle of the night when you are asleep."

Eugene reaches back to touch his hair, "You wouldn't dare."

Tara growls, "Try me. I am no one's sidekick and I am not plucky. Heck, if anyone is a sidekick around here it would be you because we're usually doing all the fighting. You're like the NPC we have to save in an office building mission."

"That isn't fair. I know stuff, I'm more like the scientist hero." Eugene frowns, still touching his hair as though it will protect his longer locks against her.

"We're probably just lucky you don't get lost and make us track you down again." She stares at him for a moment, letting him pout before she suddenly laughs, "You are so easy."

He was quiet for a few moments, "Does that mean I can call you my plucky sidekick after all?"

"No." She tilts her head to the side, grinning at him. "I was just teasing about the NPC part."


	187. Quiet

The roads were so perfect, she could have been on a weekend jaunt; riding a horse for enjoyment instead of trying to get anywhere. There were leaves along the edges of the two-lane highway and every few miles there was an abandoned car, but it was remarkably quiet and she hadn't seen a single walker all day.

Michonne hadn't seen a single sign of another living person either, and no trace of the Governor. She should be frustrated with the lack of success, but instead she turned her face up to catch the sunlight and closed her eyes for a moment. The warmth gave her strength within and she took a deep breath, relishing the way that the autumn day smelled. It was clear here, and the only decay in the air was the colorful leaves as they fell from their trees.

Her only regret for the day was that she wouldn't have any good news to bring back to the others, but that was getting to be expected. Her forays out on the roads to find a sign of their common enemy had been unproductive from the start. Others were already giving up, and focusing on their other needs. Michonne could understand that. They needed to get on with living, and try to prepare for whatever might come. She wasn't quite as ready to do that.

The Governor had taken something from her that she didn't think she would find again in this world; a friend who had become so close they felt like sisters at times. She had spent more time with Andrea, alone in the woods, than anyone else in recent years, even before the world fell apart and she lost friends, family and all of her loved ones. It had been complicated, and sometimes she still blamed Andrea for staying when they could have left Woodbury together, but she also understood the strong desire Andrea had to finally settle in a safe place. Andrea hadn't seen the evil that lurked there until it was too late.

The only one who shared her passion for finding the Governor was Daryl, and it was because he had lost his brother because of the man. He didn't talk about it much; he didn't talk about much at all usually. They understood each other's motives in a way that had some of the others wondering though. Michonne shook her head, tilting her face up to the sun one more time before tugging on the reins and directing the horse in a wide turn. It was time to go back, take a rest and find out what was happening at the prison. There would be more time to look for the Governor later.


	188. Kindling

"What are you doing?" Maggie frowned, suddenly wondering at her little sister's sanity. "You don't believe in that kinda stuff, do you?"

Beth laughed, "Of course not. It's just fun to read." She shook the paper she was holding, "Did you know that Elvis was still alive and that he was a vampire?"

Maggie rolled her eyes, "Oh sure, and I bet James Dean was going to have his baby."

"How did you guess?" Beth laughed and flipped the page of her reading, "I remember standing in line at the grocery with Momma, waiting for our turn, and reading all of the headlines. I always wanted to know what the articles really said, but Momma always said if you couldn't find the paper in the library it wasn't worth the cost."

"Just think about all of those alien plots you missed out on." Maggie grinned, checking the headlines on the tabloid Beth was still looking through. "And celebrity gossip too."

"You know, this is actually a lot more boring than I thought it would be. Maybe the only use for these things is for starting our fires." Beth set the paper aside, on the rest of the kindling she had been collecting.

"I guess aliens just can't compare when we have walkers in our reality." Maggie shrugged, "I think I would like to burn some of those headlines too. I'm going to look for the magazine rack."


	189. Slow

"Aaron!" He froze in the doorway, his hand still on the edge of the doorframe, at Eric's harsh whisper. He hadn't heard that tone of voice since they were out on the road together and he knew what it meant. Danger. Aaron looked up, slowly, and froze again. There were roamers staggering down their street, and his movement could attract their attention at any moment.

They had both heard the loud noise almost ten minutes before and knew that something bad had happened. Aaron was about to leave the house to find out what was going on, and to see if help was needed, but leaving the house was no longer an option. He stepped back as carefully as he could, and inched the door shut before locking it.

"I'll get the blinds, if you can check the other doors?" Eric moved past, his voice low and steady, "Slow and quiet, right?"

Aaron nodded, "Yes." He moved quickly to the back of the house, making sure the backdoor was locked and then double checked the garage. The large door was down, and the inner door was locked again after he peeked into the space. By the time he got back to their living room the front windows had all been taken care of; blinds down and curtains pulled across them. "I wonder what happened."

"Part of the wall must have come down, or the gates. Maybe from the weight of all those roamers pushing against it?" Eric paused, sitting on the edge of their sofa, "Unless those people who attacked came back and knocked it down. It looks like it's just roamers in the street though; I looked through the blinds to see if there were any people out there and I didn't see anyone."

"We have to stay in here." Eric nodded, reaching out to take Aaron's hand and draw him closer. Aaron was still trying to put his fears into words but accepted the gesture. "I feel like I should be out there helping."

"I know, but we don't even know if anyone is alive out there right now, or where they might be. It isn't safe to just run out without a plan. It doesn't help anyone to throw ourselves into danger, and I'm not letting you go out there alone." Eric was completely serious, and Aaron glanced down at the brace he was still wearing on his ankle.

"No, you couldn't move quickly enough if we were cornered somewhere out there." Aaron nodded, more to himself than to Eric, "We have to stay until there is a sign that someone is organizing to clear these roamers. We have supplies for several days, right?"

"Right, we have plenty of food and we can continue rationing." Eric squeezed Aaron's hand, "We can set up an outlook from upstairs to watch the streets and see where this herd goes, or if they stop somewhere inside the walls. We can look to see if anyone else is out there clearing them. Do you want to set that up now?" Aaron needed the distraction, and Eric needed him to stay in the house instead of getting more ideas about going out to rescue neighbors.

"Okay." Aaron took a deep breath and helped pull Eric back onto his feet. They embraced briefly and kissed before parting again.

"You'll get our perch set up, and I can finish blocking the rest of the windows down here." Eric hesitated, "We'll be alright. We just have to stick together like we've always done."


	190. Staking

"I wonder if any of these buildings are haunted." Tara looked up, counting the floors of the warehouse they were standing below, staking a claim to for supplies. There were at least four floors that had windows and there was enough space for another above all that, but windows. Maybe an attic or darkened storage, or a very high ceiling on the fourth floor. She shook her head, stopping that train of thought.

"You believe in ghosts now?" Maggie grinned at her, shaking her head slightly.

Tara made a broad gesture, indicating the wide open street around them, "Just a few minutes ago there were dead people walking around here. Remember them? Why not ghosts too?"

Glenn laughed, "She's got you there. I bet my grandmother would believe. She used to tell me all kinds of stories about restless spirits who died in violent or terrifying ways. It was supposed to be a reason for someone to become a ghost, if they didn't have a peaceful death. If that is true, I bet there are tons of ghosts."

Maggie shuddered, "Can you imagine being a ghost and having to watch as your body continued moving on without you? Hurting the people you loved, hurting strangers even. Sounds like the worst possible hell."

"I can think of something worse." Tara's face had gone blank, her eyes hooded by shadow as she leaned over the fence to look up the side street next to the warehouse. "If you were separated from your body you could go somewhere else and not watch. What if you were still stuck in your body and had to experience it all first hand?"

Maggie's breath caught and Glenn grabbed her hand, exchanging a worried look with her. "Maybe we should talk about something else."

"Like how much food might still be in that warehouse and how we're going to carry it all back to camp?" Tara started climbing the fence. "It's clear, so far, so we should get in there now."


	191. Sneaky

"I think I might stay in here for the rest of the night. Or my life." Tara sighed, turning her face up to the hot water that was streaming out of the showerhead.

"If you stay in there much longer it might be the rest of your life." Sasha groused. She had been waiting for her turn to shower and was vocal about not wanting a cold shower. "I know it is a treat to have any sort of shower, instead of bathing in a stream or a lake, but I still want that water to be warm if not hot."

Tara laughed, "I'm just rinsing the conditioner out, I swear, and then it is all yours. Conditioner, you know I thought that I might never use it again."

"Or those fancy body washes they gave us? Coconut, cucumber, mint; who came up with all of those? I just want to be clean, not smell like a froufrou spa. I can just imagine what the guys at the firehouse would have said if I smelled like a spring bouquet." Sasha shifted her towels and sat back on the lid of the toilet. She didn't need to be in the bathroom with Tara, but most of them were still a little nervous about this new place and it made them all a little more comfortable to stick close to one another. Privacy had gone out the window weeks before, if more months or years. When Tara was gone, and Sasha was taking her turn in the shower, Rosita would come in to wait and stand guard.

The water shut off and Tara reached out for her own towel, hanging on the bar. "I'll just be a minute, I promise. I forgot clean clothes, so if you did too you might want to get some before you start."

"Was that a hint that you want me to grab your clothes too or would you flash Abraham when you go out in just that towel?" Sasha's mood sounded lighter, and Tara hoped that it would last but she knew that the other woman would be serious and closed off again soon.

"He wishes. I would just have to be sneaky. If you grab my clothes, I'll do your share of the laundry for the next two weeks." Sasha hated domestic chores, and Tara didn't mind them since it meant spending more time with Carol and getting to know the group's past through her.

"Sounds good to me, deal."


	192. Stale

Carl set his can of corned beef and hash aside with a grimace. It wasn't as bad as some of the canned meals they had been having recently, but it was just too fatty for him to finish all at once. He turned the can to read the ingredients, and laughed, it certainly had enough calories for a day. "Do you ever thing that we'll get to a place where we won't eat anything that comes out of a can for more than a day or two at a time?"

"And give up these delicious canned peas?" Tara made a face. "I certainly hope so. Why, not happy with the random selection of the day?"

He shrugged, "It's better than having nothing, but I look forward to a day without aluminum. Of course, it might not be such a good thing. As long as we find canned goods we have some food that hasn't spoiled or gone too stale. A garden is easily overrun or left behind, right?"

Rick nodded, "We had a good start back at the prison, and we'll find a place like that again. That's what we do now; we move on and start again, fight for what we've managed to create for ourselves, and there is a future in that as long as we don't give up." He grinned at Tara, "Just don't stick me with the can of pickled beets in the meantime."

"Absolutely not." Tara laughed, "I was told to keep the pudding away from Carl too."

"I should never have told Michonne about that." Carl groaned, leaning back and rubbing his stomach, "It was so good though."

"I can imagine. I can also imagine never wanting to eat pudding again after something like that." Tara shook her head, finishing off her peas. "Just like I might never want to eat these again. Too much of anything can be a bad thing I suppose."

"Or too little." Rick handed the can of corned beef and hash back to Carl. "Better finish this now, before it gets too cold."


	193. Protect

They exchanged worried looks, not sure how to answer the question. Leaving the community as often as they did, they both knew that the more permanent resident were blinding themselves to the way the world was outside now, but there wasn't much that they could do about it. Eric shook his head slightly and Aaron frowned, "You have experiences that are different from most of the people living here. Some of them came to Alexandria because we found them on the road and brought them here, some others found this place through luck, but a lot of the people you will meet have been here from the beginning."

Aaron hesitated and Eric took over, "They haven't had to protect themselves or anyone else, so they will probably seem very naïve to you. I know I've heard people say things that make me wonder if they know that life has changed at all. We just don't want you to take something said the wrong way, because some of them won't understand what you've survived."

Carol nodded, "A lot of the changes that we've gone through came at the expense of our own naïveté, and our innocence. Can't keep your hands clean when you're fighting for your life. I'm sure that some of those experiences would be best to keep to ourselves."

"I wish you wouldn't keep those to yourselves, though I understand the desire." Aaron was still frowning, looking out the window toward the vehicles parked outside. They were almost ready to return to Alexandria with their new recruits for the community, but were giving some last minute advice while Rick and some of the others checked the area and decided where everyone would sit while they traveled.

Eric nodded again, "It might help people realize that what we've been telling them for so long is true and that they need to be more aware of the dangers out here. If they started thinking that they might need to learn to defend themselves, and Alexandria, it would be a good thing. From what you've told us, it seems that every bit of safety is precarious and eventually some form of danger will present itself."

"That was one of the reasons we wanted your group to join us. You've faced dangers, you've survived out here, and we need you to help Alexandria keep surviving." Aaron shifted slightly as Rick came back into the building. He offered a hand to Eric, to help him stand.

"Do you need another pain med?" Carol looked a little worried as they made their way to the doorway, "Or help getting into the RV?"

Eric was leaning on Aaron, but they moved steadily. "I think I'll be okay for a while, and more help might just block the way in that narrow space." He glanced up at her, "But thank you, I appreciate Noah's willingness to share those drugs."

Carol watched as they made their way into the RV before approaching Rick, "I know you worry, but I actually have a good feeling about this place."


	194. Stormy

"I don't want to go back outside. It's pouring out there." Tara shook her head, grinning, "I feel like we've been spoiled already just by having a roof over our heads for a few days. A week ago I wouldn't think twice about going out in the rain, or would have welcomed it after we ran out of water on the road."

"Is it still stormy?" Carol pulled the curtain apart near Tara's elbow and looked outside, "Oh, it isn't too bad. Did you have someplace to go? We do have umbrellas in the closet."

"No place in particular, unless I wanted to try to convince Sasha to get out of the tower and let someone else take over for a while. She's been up there all day, again." Tara shrugged, pulling the curtains closed again.

"That's real devotion to duty." Carol walked back to the kitchen and Tara trailed after her. She had been working on a casserole of whatever miscellaneous ingredients she could find and Tara had been chatting, endlessly.

"It isn't devotion, it's stubborn determination not to think about what is happening in her life for hours at a time." Tara shook her head, "I don't really blame her I guess. I mean, I don't know her especially well, but I knew she was getting close to Bob before he died, and then losing her brother so soon? I can understand the need to lose yourself to work after that."

"So, what did you do? Didn't you lose your father, sister, niece and a girlfriend just before you joined us?" Carol caught Tara's raised eyebrow, "What? Glenn talks a lot."

"Yeah, he does. I guess I was going to give up until Glenn found me and after that I had a mission. I had to help him find Maggie. If only to make up for following that evil man for a while." Tara grabbed one of the kitchen towels, shaking it out for a moment before hanging it properly on the stove handle. "Wouldn't it be nice if it were easier to figure out who the bad guys were now?"

"Maybe." Carol stopped mixing and looked up at the younger woman, "But then again, maybe we're all the good guys and the bad guys. It all depends on the situation, doesn't it? We might do horrible things to protect ourselves and our people, and that might not be understood by others. The ones who have harmed us, haven't they just been trying to survive too?"

"Probably, but we haven't attacked without provocation. We haven't just gone in and stolen from a community, or killed people without cause. Even when you rescued us from Terminus it was because they took us, locked us up and were going to kill us. They drew people there for that purpose, innocent people along with the rest. We haven't done that. The Governor was the bad guy because he attacked offensively, not defensively. And I stood there and watched. Does that make me bad too?" Tara glanced up at Carol quickly before looking toward the darkened windows again.

"No. I think that makes you Switzerland. You found out that he was doing wrong and you didn't help him do it. If you have started shooting at our people at the prison, it would have been different, but even Maggie has accepted you. There are gradients here. It can't all be black or white, we're all shades of grey now. All of us, even you and me." Carol added some breadcrumbs to the top of the casserole and shoved it into the oven. Tara held up the timer and set it to forty-five minutes at Carol's request.

"Maybe we're like that storm outside. Some days you are prepared for it and you go out with your umbrella anyway. Other days you just can't face the overcast sky and need to burrow into a warm bed and read a story of something happier. It all depends on the day, but we can all feel differently about the same thing. How someone else defines our choice is up to them, but they might not understand how we really feel or what our true motivations might be at that moment. Maybe it doesn't even matter. Eventually the sun comes out again and the ground dries, and we have to live with our choices and move on again." Carol washed her hands and rubbed them dry on the hand towel, "And I think that my choice for today will be to go check on Judith, pick out a book to read to her, and sit in the living room until dinner is ready."


	195. Sweet

Tara slapped a hand over her eye and Rosita laughed, "You might as well admit it. You twitched and I saw it."

"I do not twitch." Tara grumbled, continuing to cover her eye. "I blinked."

"Sure you did." Rosita poked her in the shoulder, "Come on, admit it. You have a crush on someone here and I am going to find out who it is." She leaned back on their porch swing, but poked Tara's shoulder once more for good measure. "I could tell Eugene and Abraham, they'd either know who it was or would help me figure it out."

Tara growled. "Can't I have even one secret from you people? I don't want to jinx anything by having rumors spread around this place. You know what gossips people are when there is nothing better to do."

"I suppose I can let it go for a while, but I will figure it out sooner or later. You could just tell me and then I would drop the subject. I bet it's someone sweet." Rosita shrugged, "I can promise not to tell anyone else, but you know that everyone is probably going to be guessing the same thing too. We know you well enough to catch the signs."

"I know, and it probably is a waste of time to hide anything around here. I just want to keep it to myself for now. It probably won't come to anything anyway." Tara sighed and picked at her jeans. "Maybe later, if there are any new developments I'll tell someone then."

"That someone had better be me." Rosita grinned, "Or I'll tell Eugene that you think Sisko is the best Captain in the Star Treks."

Tara gave her a look of disgust, "And have him lecture me about who he thinks was the best? For hours? Cruel!" She frowned, exaggeratedly, "So mean."

"You can bet on it." Rosita stood slowly, getting up without moving the swing, "Come on, I've got a knife class to teach and you can come with to help demonstrate. Stabbing things is good for you."


	196. Cold

"Your hands are cold." Glenn took both of Maggie's hands and rubbed them between his own before raising them up to blow on them. "We should find gloves, if we can."

Maggie rolled her eyes at the treatment, but let him try to take care of her. "Your hands are cold too." She smiled at him as he let her go, and she stuffed her hands back into her pockets. "I think we're all cold. It's just that time of year."

He shrugged, "Yeah."

"You know, gloves might not be so easy to find, but if we could find an old craft store I bet Beth and I could makes some gloves. We used to try knitting and crocheting things when we were younger. Daddy wore the ugliest scarf for years because we made it for him." She laughed, remembering the colors they had used.

"I bet that whatever yarn we found would be ugly too." Glenn grinned, "I can just imagine you giving a pair of pink and purple gloves to Daryl. They would have to have those little tassels or the little balls of fluff on one side."

Maggie laughed louder, "You know I would do it just to see the look on his face. It's a deal. You find some yarn and crochet hooks or knitting needles, and I'll make the ugliest gloves you have ever seen."

"And give them to Daryl." Glenn paused, his head tilted to one side as he gazed at Maggie, "You know, you might just have to come with on that run because I'm not sure if I know what the difference is between a crochet hook and a knitting needle? And what if you need something like a pattern or instruction book?"

She laughed again, taking his arm, "Alright, you find a craft store and I'll go on the next run to check it out. Beth can come with, and maybe Carol and we'll find ways to embellish everything in this cold, grey place."


	197. Hesitate

"It's amazing, the kind of things that you can learn to live with after needing to do so for a while." Carol shrugged, "Some of the things that I refused to do seem silly now. When I think about all the times that I could have left Ed, or that I did leave but went back, because of some little concern of the future, or fear." She sighed and shook her head, "Now I do things that I never could have imagined, and I don't even hesitate."

"Is this your way of telling me that you've killed someone again?" Rick frowned, "Because I don't think that would be a good thing right now."

Carol rolled her eyes, giving him a dirty look before turning back to face the herd of walkers that was getting closer to their position. There were walls separating them still; not the city walls that they had all thought were safe, but still a barrier that was effective in leading the walkers away from their small camp. "No, I haven't killed anyone that you don't know about. Yet."

He snorted, looking at the back of her head for a moment, "I guess I know what you mean then. I certainly wouldn't have predicted this from our first meeting. I still remember you surprising me more often than not though, like with that grenade." He chuckled softly, "Mot just me, Shane was sure that you were going to pull something useless out of that bag. We shouldn't have discounted you so quickly back then."

"I discounted myself back then. I knew that I would die and all I wanted was to live long enough for Sophia to be safe." She shrugged, continuing to face away from him, "That didn't work out the way I thought it would." There was a moment of tense silence, neither wanting to venture any further into that topic.

"See anything good out there?" Daryl had approached quietly, but didn't want to startle either of them when he made it to their look-out.

"The past?" Rick turned and slapped Daryl's shoulder. "I think we're about ready to move again. We can clear this small herd and then get on down this road. I'll tell the others."

Daryl stepped closer to Carol, "You ready?"

She nodded sharply, "For anything."


	198. Shaky

Her hands were shaky, and she almost dropped the knife more than once as she made her way across the store but she had to make sure the way was clear before the others started forward. Their run had been a collection of accidents from the beginning and Beth was hoping that nothing more would go wrong before they managed to get home again. They hadn't run into a herd or anyone shooting at them, but it still hadn't been a good trip. Except for the supplies they had managed to get into the car, she would have thought that they should have skipped this run altogether. She didn't usually go on runs, and she knew that as soon as they got back to the prison Maggie would be bringing out the "I told you so" and "Never going on another run again" statements.

She gripped the knife a little tighter after rubbing her sweaty palm against her jeans. All she wanted was to prove that she was just as capable as everyone else. They just had more practice, and how was she supposed to learn this stuff if no one gave her a chance? Everything could fall apart around them, again, at any time and Beth knew that she needed to be able to take care of herself. If she were out alone, she would have to do it all in order to survive. That logic had gotten Maggie to stop arguing against her inclusion on the short run, and Beth was hoping that her status as the uninjured member of the party might show that she should be allowed to go back out on another.

She glanced over her shoulder to where Daryl was helping Michonne. The older woman had been tripped over a box that had been laying in the middle of an aisle almost immediately after they had returned from packing the car and had reinjured her ankle. It made her limp slightly, but Daryl was checking to make sure nothing was broken over Michonne's protests. "If something was broken it would hurt more. It was just strained a little, that's all." Michonne looked over his back as he hunched over her leg, catching Beth's gaze, and rolled her eyes. "You should wrap that cut on your arm instead. Don't want to get an infection."

Daryl snorted and ignored everything that Michonne had just said, manipulating her ankle until she hissed and pushed at his shoulder, "Fine, but I want Beth to stick close to that side then. She can help if you fall." He sat back on his heels and scowled, "We should get back. Got what we came for, didn't we?"

Beth nodded slowly, "Everything that wasn't nailed down."

"And a few of those things too," Michonne grinned, "but it was worth the effort." She pushed at Daryl's shoulder again until he moved away so she could stand and take a few cautious steps toward Beth. "Come on then. I can walk, and when we get back I can ask Hershel to look at it, or soak it." She shrugged and continued toward the door where Beth was waiting.

Beth smiled back at her, "I'll make a deal with you. If you don't tell my sister that I was in danger, I won't tell anyone that you tripped over an unarmed cardboard box."

Daryl paused in the middle of getting his crossbow ready, preparing for their path to their car, "What's in it for me?"

Beth laughed, "I won't tell Carol about that stash of romance novels I saw you grab."

His eyes narrowed, "Those aren't for me; they're for trading."

"Whatever you say." Beth glanced at Michonne and the other woman laughed, "I'm sure she will believe you, but you know Carol is always helping everyone and is almost never alone. Those people might have a whole new idea of you when they hear about those books."

"You play dirty, don't you?" He snorted and brushed past them to look out the glass door. "Fine, telling Maggie about you being in danger would probably only get me into more trouble anyway."

"Exactly." Beth grinned at him, "It's for the good of all if she can pretend that I was safe all this time, and then maybe next time she won't nag so much."

"Next time?" Daryl scoffed at her, "Next time you can go with Glenn."


	199. Better

"Sometimes I think that the end of the world was the best thing that ever happened to me." Eugene shrugged, "I mean, it isn't as though I was doing a lot with my life before, you know?"

Tara squinted at him, "A lot of bad things have happened since then. Not just to everyone else, but to you too. You've almost died how many times?"

"A few." He sighed, "I know that a lot of bad has happened and to a lot of good people. There have been deaths, horrific deaths that I wouldn't wish upon even the worst villain, and suffering that has been endured by us all. However, I think my point still stands. My life has improved in many ways."

"Like what?" Tara scratched her neck, watching his face as he thought for a moment.

"Like meeting all of you, and finally feeling like I had friends. Real friends, not just the people I gamed with online and never met in-person. Getting out of my house, out of my town even, and seeing something of this world. Growing and learning to admit to my mistakes. I've done badly, but I'm better at admitting to it now." He shrugged again. "I have never been perfect, so I know there is room for improvement, but wouldn't you agree that I've done better now than I did when you first met me?"

Tara nodded slowly, "I guess I would. Haven't thought that much about it, but yeah. We've all changed, not always for the best, but you are doing better. Braver than you were before, certainly, and I trust you."

"Thank you. I hope that I won't let you down in the future." Eugene hadn't lost his serious expression. "I'm not like the rest of you. I didn't have a close family to lose, or a bunch of friends to surround me and miss when they were gone. I had my job, my hobbies, and my alone time. It doesn't seem like much, though I do miss my collections sometimes. That's why I think I have it better now. I wish more people could say the same, instead of losing so much that had more meaning."

"You have more to lose now, don't you?" Tara watches as he glanced around their small group. They were a few feet apart, and talking quietly, so most probably couldn't hear what was being said, but she had the feeling that Eugene didn't care if they did hear. It was an easy way to tell them that they meant something to him without having to be direct about it.

"I do. It would be worse to lose people now, because now I know what it feels like to have people to care about. A couple of years ago I would have been happy to be alone all the time, but now I can't think of anything worse."


	200. Stick

"I wouldn't even touch that with a stick." Carol grimaced slightly in distaste. "Where did you find that?"

"River. It's a fish." Daryl shrugged, settling his crossbow more firmly across his shoulders. "It's edible, I've had it before."

Carol frowned at the ugly fish. It was dark colored and looked soft with long whiskers. "Are you sure? It doesn't look edible. It looks like something to frighten small children."

"And sometimes it does." Maggie laughed, taking the fish and the others like it, "I've had this before too. Daddy always said if you kill it you gotta eat it, so I learned how to clean these long ago. Not much else was in that little muddy creek by the farm, at least not much dumb enough to get caught by teenaged girls."

Daryl smirked, "Care to keep in practice? You can come with on the next fishing trip and help find bait."

Maggie rolled her eyes, "Like I'm scared of bait. Silly man." She shook her head and grinned at Carol, "I know how to deal with these and then we can bread them in some flour and fry them up for dinner. You won't even have to touch it with a stick."


End file.
